


Extinction

by Jafs



Series: Year Zero [13]
Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: And the mountain did not move, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Driving a biological machine, F/F, F/M, Faith saves, I will go where my heart belongs, The most powerful law of the universe, We are the last ones, You will never win, the daughter claims for the motherland
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 66,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jafs/pseuds/Jafs
Summary: In a bastion of hopelessness lies the requiem of a goddess.
Series: Year Zero [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/293663
Kudos: 1





	1. Announcement

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Extinção](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23951695) by [Jafs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jafs/pseuds/Jafs). 



> I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Mahou Shoujo Oriko Magica and their characters.

_**** _

_**"Mors stupebit et natura,** _

_**Cum resurget creatura,** _

_**Judicanti responsura." Dies Irae, fourth stanza** _

I only see machines.

I am tired, but I can not sleep.

I want to cry, but I have no more tears.

I wanted to wake up and see my room. Go down the stairs and listen to my mom ask if I want toast. Having to fight with my brother for the turn of using the bathroom, father has not finished renovating the other one, he never finishes it.

But now I only see machines, with their beeps and lights, keeping me alive, because my body is gone.

I am an anchor now and my family is holding on to me, sinking, sinking...

The same movie keeps going through my head, but with different endings. I find myself clinging to another branch, like a monkey or turning gracefully in the air and landing with my legs. I would break them, it would fucking hurt. I would become a celebrity at school, people would want to sign names on the cast and my brother would be screwed. So many times that someone walked on that branch, without problems, why did it break? I am not even heavy.

My left ear is itchy, but I do not want to wake my aunt. She is there, snoring in the chair, thinking that I am sleeping. In a few weeks it will be my fifteenth birthday, the whole family must come, it will be mandatory, sure. There will be balloons, there will be cake, I do not think I will have a dress... But there will be smiles. I have to smile too.

They will be talking about me being discharged from the hospital, continuing the physiotherapy... I think that even the doctor will be invited, just to say that I am 'doing well'. Meanwhile, when they wash me, I see my limbs getting thinner every day and with those terrible swollen wounds that they call 'bedsores'. Then they tell me they throw a jet of cold water in my anus to stimulate it and make me defecate. I do not feel anything, of course, just the smell...

Doing well? My body is rotting, I do not recognize it, it is gone. I should have died.

However, I can not turn off these machines, they are part of me, with their beeps and lights.

There is a pair of red lights staring at me, now.

* * *

**Announcement**

The windowless bathroom was full of girls taking a shower side by side. They were all young, but the most common thing among them was that they all had a silver ring on the middle finger of their left hands and a mark on their nail.

Among them there was one that was not feeling very comfortable. Not because they were all naked, but because almost all of them were complete strangers. A few weeks ago she was with her family, now she had no idea where she was with all those people.

These concerns were put aside when her light blue gaze captured the pink razor she was holding. The water from the shower came with pressure and irritated a little her dark skin, and it was always cold, not that it was bad, because the air was always hot and muggy. The biggest problem was that she could not avoid her dark brown hair getting wet, which was quite long and bulky, and this time there was a certain urgency.

It was time to hurry up. The girl decided to start with her armpits, but as soon as she used the razor, she felt and saw that the hair was not cut. Only then did she realize that she had not removed the protective cover from the blade. She brought the object closer to her eyes, in order to make the task easier, however, in doing so, her hand passed under the shower's water jet and it was enough to her drop it. "Ah!" That razor was the only one she had brought, and if anyone stepped on it... Anguish grew in her chest, but, fortunately, she discovered that the tool had fallen on the girl's foot beside her and that girl had already caught it.

While looking up, she examined the other girl. She had a taller, slimmer body, and virtually devoid of breasts. The skin was pale, a little gray, anemic. The hair was rather short, purple in color, but the roots and tips were red, they did not appear to be natural. Her eyes were also purple and they were examining the razor, but they soon exchanged glances.

"Ah..." Getting anxious again, the dark-skinned girl struggled to smile. "Thanks..."

Without showing any expression, the other girl returned her attention to the razor while her other hand passed over her own face. Then she took off the protective cap and turned to the shower, using the blade to remove the hair she had felt.

The owner of that object stopped smiling. "Eh... hmmm..."

The pale girl had already started shaving her armpits.

Had she not heard? She became more tense, she did not want to raise her voice and end up fighting with a strange, worse, a strange magical girl. Perhaps it would be better to wait for the turn to use.

"Won't ya give it back?!"

She recognized the voice and saw a blonde girl approaching, with fair skin, but not pale, her hair was very short and her eyes were full of anger. However, she was not frightened, because this was her friend Alice. Her best friend.

Alice did not wait long to get very close to the pale girl and raise her voice even more, "HEY IDIOT! D'ya have watah in yah eahrs?"

The girl slowly turned to the blonde. She was not angry, in fact she seemed to be bored.

"This belongs ta Maya!" Alice continued to speak loudly.

The pale girl exchanged glances with the dark-skinned girl.

Maya smiled apologetically.

Then the girl looked at both and finally changed her face to a sarcastic smile, "Ah, I get i-"

"Ya speak!" Alice interrupted, "how dardy... Now give it back!"

Maya looked around. Seeing that some girls were paying attention to that scene, she felt her heart grow heavy.

The girl with the razor was now visibly annoyed, but her voice still sounded calm, resembled a whisper, "Ya two ahre the new refugees."

"I'm Alice 'n this is my friend Maya, from wom ya stole it." The blonde gritted her teeth. "Get it now?"

She raised her eyebrows and her face was listless again. Then she turned away and brought the razor to shave her groin area.

Outraged, Alice grabbed her arm to stop her, but when she tried to pull, she was unable to move it by an inch.

"A-Alice..." Maya wanted to put an end to that, however a feeling of selfishness and guilt washed over her spirit. Perhaps that anemic girl deserved punishment.

Certain of what it was, Alice focused and let the yellow gem in her ring shine. Almost immediately, she was managing to pull the arm, but only a little.

The slender girl glanced back.

At the same time, Alice was making no further progress. "NNNnggg!" She tried to pull harder, but the arm slipped from her hands. "Ahhh!" Had it not been for Maya to have held her, she would have fallen on the cold floor. It had become personal, she would get her friend's razor even if she had to cut off that arm.

All showers stopped. That sudden event diverted the attention of all girls present.

Even her friend's attention, Maya was grateful for that. She saw that there was a woman beside the bathroom's general tap. Her hair was red and pulled up in a bun, her skin was fair and her eyes were gray. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt with high collar, it seemed to be uncomfortable, and a very long black skirt, she could not see her feet. A red rosary was wrapped around her right hand, while her left hand had the ring that everyone who made contract with Kyuubey had. Her smile was polite, from someone who was waiting patiently.

Without questioning or complaining, the girls went to the lockers. This included the pale girl, who returned the razor to Maya, saying before going, "Nothin' heah is yours..."

With clenched fists and lips, Alice followed her with her eyes, murmuring, " Ah, this one wants ta get punched in the fuckin' face..."

Maya tried to calm her down, "Nah, no worries..." However, the razor was full of hair and there was no water and time to wash it. "C'mon, we don't wanna irritate Madre, do we?"

Alice glanced at the woman with the rosary, she was still smiling, but it would not be for long. "Yeah, let's get movin'."

At the lockers, Maya dried off and put on her underwear, then her uniform: a white short-sleeved shirt and beige pants printed with military camouflage. The worst was putting on the sock and the black boot, she had wide feet for those shoes and the laces were very thin, difficult to handle.

"Giiiirls, we have an appointment."

Hearing Madre's voice reminded Maya of her mother, her family. It was not something she wanted, not only because of the longing, but also to imagine how desperate they must be after any whereabouts of her. Was accepting the Sisterhood's solidarity a good choice? At that time, it seemed to have been the only one.

"Yo, Maya. You ready? They'ah already formin' the line." Alice was already properly dressed.

"Y-Yeah!" She ended up improvising a knot in the shoelace, to at least not let the shoes slip off.

Madre led the girls out of the bathroom, through a concrete tunnel with wide pipes in the ceiling. After a curve, they arrived in a large room with many beds, forming rows, all with the same and simple design, with thin, white mattresses and pillows.

Despite this, Maya easily located her bed, she had already memorized it. Her few personal belongings were under it, she still did not trust the lockers, and the best part was that Alice was using the bed next to hers.

They left the room, following another claustrophobic tunnel.

Alice wondered who had built that place, as she guided herself through the colored strips painted on the wall. Each color represented a place and it was enough to follow the respective strip to reach it.

When they arrived at a fork, Madre went through the tunnel where only the red strip remained.

Alice made use of her telepathy. [ _Then it'll be in the refectory._ ]

[ _Yes._ ] Maya replied.

They entered another room, with a kitchen and plenty of space, as the tables and chairs were stacked close to the wall. Now Alice and Maya understood the purpose for that, as that space was also used for exceptional events.

"I want ya ta form two rows." Madre held some girls and guided them to set up the formation. "The tallest ones should be in the back row, but I don't want one girl behind the othah, front row must spread more. Quickly, she already warned that she's comin'."

Maya and Alice were in the same row and opened more space between them. Both were a little anxious, even though they already knew who was coming.

However, the surprise was greater when Maya saw that there were three people who had arrived through the tunnel. A strong woman, with skin that looked tanned, with dark pink hair and eyes, and her hair was relatively short. She was known as 'Generalíssima' and she was the leader, and she was the person Maya was waiting for to appear. Behind her was another woman even stronger, with all those muscles she looked like a man, and her skin was very dark. Only the left half of the top of her head had hair, of dark brown color, while the eyes were light brown like honey. Her physiognomy was as intimidating as the way she was called: 'Revenant'.

Unlike the two women, who were in the same uniform as the girls who were waiting for them, the third person was wearing her magical girl outfit, which was somewhat peculiar, resembling a sexy bunny costume, but... more innocent? Her hair was reddish brown, reaching to her shoulders and a little further, her eyes were blue like Maya's, but the color was darker and more intense. The fair skin had many freckles. She was popular with the girls, known as 'Lucky', and Maya suspected this was because she was not an adult like the other sisters, at least she did not act like one.

Lucky came jumping, smiling and waving. "G'day, novices!"

Alice frowned as some girls answered back.

"G'day, Lucky!"

Maya was already aware that those nicknames were 'sister's names', like 'Madre', but she was not sure about that in this case. She and the other girls who formed the ranks were novices, aspiring to become sisters one day, being able to choose a name and have other privileges, such as a private room. The problem is that she had no idea what this process was like and its requirements.

Generalíssima stopped and looked at the novices and then at Madre.

She replied with a smile.

Revenant waited for Generalíssima to nod. Then she took a deep breath and shouted, "SISTERS! Show your souls!"

Maya still found it curious that they used only the term 'sisters', because in fact that meant that everyone present needed to extend their left arm forward and show their soul gem.

This was one of the first things that was taught in the Souls' Sisterhood, but Alice was not comfortable doing that, now that she had learned about what that jewel really contained.

Following the rest, Lucky took her transparent gem in the shape of a rabbit's foot, over her white jacket, and extended her arm, while her gem acquired its egg shape.

Generalíssima made her pink gem shine more. "May our united lights guide our hopes..."

"SINCE THESE LAMPS OF LIFE ARE THE PROOF OF GOD'S WILL!"

Maya and Alice did not participate in that energetic response, they had not yet memorized these sentences and both noticed that they were not the only novices in this situation.

"It's true, it's true..." Generalíssima brought her arm back to herself.

That was the signal for everyone to rest their arms and transform their gems back into their rings.

However, Generalíssima had not done that last part. Sliding her finger over the details of her precious jewel, she continued, "The novices who have been here the longest know that I call you when it matters, but with this crisis involving this new kind of witches, we welcome with open arms many magical girls who still don't comprehend our purpose."

[ _Bullcrap._ ] Alice frowned a little. [ _We didn't come here for this._ ]

Maya did not answer her friend's message, but she had to agree what had led them to make that difficult choice was something else.

"That's why I'll tell you the origin of our Sisterhood."

The two friends heard some sighs of discontent from some novices, probably from those who had already heard that story.

"Incubator, or Kyuubey for those who still prefer to call him that, didn't tell you that, of course he wouldn't..." Generalíssima raised her eyebrows while smiling slightly. "But great unions of magical girls are commonplace in the history of humankind, in fact it was shaped by them. For a common cause, such as nation, ethnicity or religion, these groups appeared especially in great conflicts, including here the two great world wars. However, none of these groups withstood the passage of time and the winds of change that it brings, however big they could be." She again reached out, showing her gem. "Do you know why this doesn't apply to the Sisterhood?" Her gem evaporated, reforming in her ring, while her hand closed into a firm fist. "Because our cause is you, yes, all of you, magical girls. We share our strengths and knowledge, our courage and spirit, not to survive, but to have a prosperous future."

Madre, Lucky and Revenant nodded, agreeing with what was said.

"This was all the vision of our founder, Matriarch, even before accepting Incubator's contract. She asked the right questions and understood what a life of fight meant, as her family had a long military record and tradition. The inspiration came when she became aware of the development of Arpanet, a precursor to the Internet. The world was getting smaller, the borders were closer, the idea of a global union of magical girls, previously inconceivable, now it was possible to dream." Generalíssima lowered her arm and raised her head, looking at something far away. "In 1986, when I joined the Sisterhood, they're already spread across the North American territory. I was a refugee like many of you are today, I had no shelter or food, I only knew a few words in English. My cause up to that point was to survive at the expense of others, and yet they welcomed me and trusted me. I became a novice, then a sister and now I'm here talking to you all." She looked back at the novices. "As a sister and leader of these important facilities."

[ _Now I understand the other girls' dismay._ ] Alice pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. [I _t's just heaps of cheap propaganda._ ]

Maya tried hard not to laugh at her friend's comment, but ended up letting out a smile.

"You already understood that we're a family, we share our grief seeds. Do you need a safe place? We have several around the world. Money? We can borrow a little. Work and study? We have sisters within traditional corporations and schools, we can arrange that. A spell? If it's morally fair... We can heal someone dear to you. Do you need spiritual help? We have Madre here. Know that you are not alone, the Lord is with us." Generalíssima looked down and showed a brief smile. "For us, becoming a witch is just a different way of dying. We all here are liable to die one day, but what matters is whether our lives were worth more than that alien bastard thinks!"

Alice and Maya held their breath a little with that sudden anger in the woman's voice.

"This is what you should be asking yourselves. That's what we can offer." Generalíssima brought both hands to her chest. "Please be loyal to us. Become my sisters, sisters of Revenant, sisters of Lucky, sisters of Madre... We have already gone through many tribulations, some that could extinguish humanity and even the entire life of this planet, and we overcame it and continue to grow, building a girl's dream."

Silence took over the room, save for the sound of the ventilation system.

Alice and Maya exchanged looks, each hoping that the other had a suggestion of what they were supposed to do. Clapping hands, perhaps?

Generalíssima opened a bigger smile, it looked like she was about to laugh. "The more experienced novices must still be wondering why I didn't just call only the newcomers to tell this." However, she became serious, even more than when she entered the room. "It's just that it's good for you to hear that, because I have news about the current crisis that we're going through and it's not good."

Madre and Revenant became more tense, not making a single movement. Even Lucky was no longer smiling, only nodding.

Maya swallowed hard, praying it was not something about her family or her friend's family.

With an intense gaze, as if she had to force herself to open her lips, Generalíssima said, "We have lost contact with Washington."

Alice felt nothing, of course, because that meant nothing, but she was startled by the commotion of other novices.

"NO!" "Oh my God…" "THIS IS THE END?!"

"SILENCE!" Revenant ordered.

Maya did not know what Washington was and saw that some novices did not know either, they looked confused, while others were crying and holding their heads.

"It can't be!" "We didn't receive any warnin'..." "THE SISTAHHOOD IS OVAH!"

"CALM DOWN!" Generalíssima shouted with all her might and authority, managing to attract attention. "I didn't say Washington fell. They must have relocated the base of operations as a precaution and can re-establish contact with us at any time. Remember that this is where Matriarch and other very competent sisters are, such as Sunbird and Moonlynx."

"When was the last time you had contact with them?"

Alice recognized the voice and looked back, seeing that pale girl from the bathroom was very angry.

Generalíssima exhaled before answering, "The last report we were able to send successfully was about two months ago..."

The principle of a new commotion. Maya covered her ears as she approached her friend with wide eyes.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Revenant took a step forward. "LET GENERALÍSSIMA SPEAK!"

The latina woman extended her hand to the black one, gesturing for her to calm down too. Then she addressed the novices again. "It seems that you didn't hear the story I told you just now. While you're here, safe and whining, we have members of the Sisterhood, with whom we still have direct contact, on American soil, looking for Washington. In addition, we continue to investigate the phenomenon of these new witches who pretend to be humans and we found more clues. It's too early to ensure that damned Incubator is involved in this, but you can bet your souls that they are." She gritted her teeth. "Souls' Sisterhood is still alive and working hard. Therefore, I no longer want to hear rumors that the world will end and that everyone will die. Our activities here will continue normally and we will overcome this as we always have. Oh God, we will."

A new silence in the room, with everyone watching the leader's determined face.

"You can have your breakfast now..." With that, Generalíssima left the room, accompanied by Revenant and Lucky.

"Hmmm..." Madre waited for them to disappear from view before joining hands and saying, "Girls, we've milk and cookies in the kitchen. Please put the tables and chairs while I brin' them."

The novices obeyed, although some were downcast.

Meanwhile, Maya remained beside her friend, who had not left her position and with a lost gaze. She stroked her back, trying to comfort her. "It looks like bad news, but ouahr families must still be safe 'n so ahre we, right?"

"They knew."

Maya frowned.

Alice looked at her, the voice was bitter. "They fuckin' knew the boat was sinkin' 'n they still put us on boahrd."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Jumping beside Generalíssima, Lucky was unable to contain herself. "Ya weah ripsnortah! That's yah best speech."

"And very optimistic," Revenant added, but not as a compliment, " we only know one person wo is lookin' fawr Washington."

Generalíssima nodded. "It was necessary to reveal something to end the rumors, but see how they reacted. We must not threaten their faith, the Sisterhood needs to maintain its unity."

"Ya shoulda talked about Willa," Lucky suggested, "they would sympathize with heah being a novice too 'nd with such an impawrtant task."

Generalíssima shook her head. "I'm sure they would doubt that she would be able to complete the mission for that very reason."

They walked through the tunnel until they reached a staircase, which spiraled down for dozens of meters.

As they descended the hundreds of steps, Generalíssima commented, "What worries me now is Inquisitor."

"No sign of him. Did he really say he's gonna attend the meetin' with the novices?" Revenant asked.

"Yes, and he didn't warn me of any change of plans."

"Ya shoulda sent a telepathic message." Lucky stopped to concentrate. [ _Inquisitor? Yuuuhuuu~!_ ]

"It's the first thing I did." Generalíssima sighed and murmured, "what're you up to..."

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the trio found themselves at an intersection. One of the paths was a tunnel much wider than the others and it was a ramp that went up, but it was completely dark while the other three paths were well lit. There was yet another entrance with a staircase that also further spiraled downwards.

"Okay, let's check if he's in his room." Generalíssima led them along one of the illuminated paths. It was a tunnel with metal doors, each numbered and with an electronic panel for entering a password.

They stopped in front of door number **05** and there was no sign of life coming from inside. Generalíssima soon called, "Inquisitor, are you there?" Without an answer, she punched the door, making a loud noise.

Convinced, Revenant said with disgust, "He lied ta ya and I'm not gobsmacked. He's always tryin' ta stay outta yah sight."

Generalíssima rubbed her face and looked at the ceiling, more specifically at the camera pointed at her. "I'm going to see Invader. You can go rest, I'll take care of that."

Lucky saluted. "Rogeah that, my kywte general!"

"Stop that, drongo." Revenant pushed her. "Let's go."

Lucky did not even get angry, in fact, she smiled while she accompanied her. "Hey Revah, wat'ah ya gonna do now?"

"Hmmm... I reckon I'm going to the gym."

With the help of her hands, she stretched out her pair of fluffy ears, taking the opportunity to stretch her arms as well. "Ah... Don't ya wanna go ta the trainin' room with me?"

Revenant narrowed her gaze at the freckled woman. "I don't feel like bein' a guinea pig."

"It's not an experiment!" Lucky gestured a 'no' with her index finger. "It's just a simple duel, the first one that bleeds loses."

"I know how it ends..." Revenant quickened her pace, leaving the other magical girl behind. "Go play alone."

"Boohoo..." Lucky puffed out her cheeks. "How mean ya ahre sometimes. Yah skills will get rusty!"

Generalíssima had gone in the opposite direction, going back through the intersection. She stopped at an unnumbered metal door and entered the password on the panel. Soon the door slid into the wall, allowing passage.

Inside the room it was partially dark, the only light source being numerous screens showing images from the cameras scattered around the base. In a modern ergonomic chair, however large for her stature, there was an Asian girl wearing a blue ballerina outfit, with half her tutu crumpled up against the seat. Her icy eyes did not even blink, watching the screens, while her hand covered by long sleeves played with the tip of her thin black ponytail. As soon as the woman got closer, she asked, "What can I do for you?"

Generalíssima replied, "I'm looking for a person."

Invader glanced at her. "Inquisitor..."

"You saw that he wasn't in the refectory with us."

"Yes, but I didn't think it would worry you that much." She turned the chair to face the visitor. "Why didn't you use telepathy? I would have informed you where he is."

"You know I'm the type of person who likes to see with their own eyes."

Invader smiled slightly and turned back to the screens. "Let's see..." Her bluish gem, shaped like a wing and attached to the red hair clip that held the ponytail, flashed as the images on the screens changed frantically.

It was very difficult for Generalíssima to find the Inquisitor like that, but she knew that the same did not apply to the girl in the chair.

However, Invader squinted. "I'm not finding him, he must be in a place where there are no cameras."

Generalíssima heard that, but her attention had caught something else. "Why did this screen go black?"

Invader replied, without being surprised, "This is the camera that shows the entrance to the purification room, it broke recently."

"And only now am I aware of this?!" Generalíssima widened her eyes. "Did a witch escape by any chance?"

"About this, Inquisitor said he'll investigate, but he has already rejected that idea. He also rejected it when I suggested that his magic might have overheated the camera."

"Sure." Generalíssima made a tired face. "The 'mister right' never make mistakes."

"I already called Nano to repair the camera," smiling, Invader said, "now let's find out what 'mister right' was doing as soon as he woke up."

The screens now showed images from a few hours ago. Generalíssima was paying special attention to the camera at door 05, until it opened. "There you are..."

"It looks like he's walking in a hurry," Invader commented as she followed Inquisitor's movement on another camera.

"It's for not to be seen." Generalíssima came closer to the screens, anxious for the decisive moment.

The image was from the intersection camera, where Inquisitor chose one of the paths with light.

The only one of the three that Generalíssima had not gone yet. She stepped back, almost like a jump. "Damn it, I know where he went!"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"Beato l'uomo che non segue il consiglio degli empi, non indugia nella via dei peccatori e non siede in compagnia degli stolti."

The room was cold and cramped, mainly because of stacks of black boxes that flashed lights and emitted the constant sound of fans.

Aa si compiace della legge del Signore, la sua legge medita giorno e notte."

But the man there was distracted by his own voice and a task.

"Sarà come albero piantato lungo corsi d'acqua, che darà frutto a suo tempo e le sue foglie non cadranno mai; riusciranno tutte le sue opere."

The terminal showed an extensive list of numbers, names and descriptions, while he nimbly sent new commands to the servers.

"Non così, non così gli empi; ma come pula che il vento disperde."

No one would say that he had such skill, as his white robes resembled a priest. His faithful silver cross, fastened under his belt.

"Perciò non reggeranno gli empi nel giudizio, né i peccatori nell'assemblea dei giusti."

And the red cross, of the gem in the right golden clasp of his also red mantle.

"Il Signore veglia sul cammino dei giusti, ma la via degli empi andrà in rovina."

The sound of the sliding of the metal door came. He promptly turned off the terminal and turned around, with a good idea of who it was.

Generalíssima entered, already questioning, "Inquisitor, what are you doing?"

"My job," he replied, raising his eyebrows, "didn't you say to me that you were going to tell the novices that our activities would go on normally?"

A little angrier, Generalíssima rephrased the question, "What are you doing here?"

He crossed his arms and spoke with a tone of obviousness, "I'm making queries at the data center. I found something," adjusting the mantle over his shoulders, he inquired, "can you tell me who is responsible for providing food and other supplies for this cell?"

The woman was silent for a moment, blinking her eyes. She had come with questions and now she was already being interrogated. "It's me, you should know that."

Inquisitor nodded. "It's a rhetorical question, because I looked at the list that says what and when each supplies came in, and I found nothing."

Generalíssima held her breath and shook her head a little. "It must be corrupted."

"I highly doubt it, as I also consulted the data center's log and it appears that there is no write action on that list." The man got more serious. "You can say that the log is corrupted too, but I have a more plausible theory..."

She closed her eyes and exhaled, then looked away, saying, "Okay, I admit, I didn't know that I needed to register every single thing I brought here."

"And that's very odd." Inquisitor raised his finger to emphasize. "Because you've been sending reports to Washington all this time, including this empty list. However, when they assigned me to oversee operations here, they reported that everything was right."

Generalíssima shrugged. "Perhaps they didn't care about that detail."

"Detail..." The man grimaced and approached the woman, looking deep into her eyes. "Detail?"

She turned and rubbed her face, making a sigh. "Look... We're in a crisis. I understand your job, what Sunbird may have said, but-"

"Matriarch!"

She was startled. That man, always with a polite and controlled voice, now exasperated.

"It's Matriarch's will, sister!"

She nodded quickly, several times. "Right, right, Matriarch..."

Inquisitor calmed down, but there was still a hint of anger when he examined her from head to toe. "Know that, when we reestablish contact with Washington, I'll report this 'detail'. " Then he put his hands to rest behind his back and passed beside Generalíssima, towards the exit. "I'll be watching and it'll be good for both of us that I no longer find more 'details'."

Frustrated, she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath, but a flash came to her mind. It was one of the questions she intended to ask and it fits perfectly in a rebuttal. "Details like the camera at the entrance to the purification room?" She smiled, expecting a long silence.

The sound of the metal door opening was followed by the man's voice. "Ah, good thing you seek to inform yourself, it's the least a leader should do."

Her smile faded. "Why didn't you inform me?"

"Because I'm here to solve problems, instead of pretending they don't exist."

The door closed and Generalíssima had nothing more to say. Her body shuddered, not from the cold in the room, and her hand was heavy, compelled to punch something. Her victim this time was her own thigh. "¡Hijo de perra!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Purge


	2. Purge

The cold of the floor on the soles of my feet does not bother me anymore, but I should turn on the shower soon or they will start asking.

However, I do not move. The reflection in the mirror is like death, each day it becomes more evident.

This is an ordeal, it needs to be. I have talent, determination... maybe if they had not encouraged me. Too late, I did not choose this path, it chose me, nobody understands. Nonsense, if it were a ordeal, there would be a purpose, at least someone would gain something from it.

The reflection tells me everything. I continue to hear, like whispers, the curse I carry. It has already consumed all the love and compassion.

I hate God, but I must not hate Him, so I hate myself.

The cold scissors blade still bothers my nipple. My hand is shaking and the fingers on the handle are tired of keeping the tool open. I close it slowly, always dreaming that there will be no pain, but the blade was not sharp enough and my skin molded to it.

I have determination and I do not have time. I cover my mouth with my other hand and close my eyes. I do not want to think, I do not want to hear the whispers, just prove that I am not weak. I try to close the scissors at once, but the pain comes, excruciating. I force my jaw to trap the scream in my cage of teeth.

I drop the scissors and it looks like it makes everything worse. My body collapses and my back hits the wall, I slide slowly until I sit on the cold. I open my eyes and see the scissors still stuck in the wound, my nipple was still there too.

I kept my mouth covered and opened the scissors quickly, slow was always worse. A shock came, then the pain pulsed again, letting the blood escape and bath my belly. My mind empties through tears and in that valuable moment of silence I wonder what I am doing.

Naturally, in His silence I cannot find the answers.

I take a whole roll of toilet paper, I could tell them it was my period, and head for the shower. The water burns and my sin runs down the drain, the sound helps to keep the silence.

Despite this, I know that the reflection is still there, its whispers louder and louder.

* * *

**Purge**

"Hail Mary..."

Alice was bored. It was another day in that 'classroom', or another night. After weeks without seeing the sky, it lost its meaning.

"... blessed art thou among women..."

Praying with Madre and the novices, Maya was relieved. That room was the only room she was ever comfortable with. It reminded the school, in fact it was even better, without stupid boys, without 'who's dating who', without drugs, without bragging, without people asking for copy... Just peace and discipline. Who knows, she might finally be able to make friends here? If there were windows and a landscape, it would be perfect.

"... and blessed is the fruit of thy womb..."

Madre watched closely the novices standing beside their chairs. Always with a serene look, she made sure that none of them had their mouths shut.

"... pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death."

"Amen." All said in unison.

Which pleased Madre. "You can sit down now."

Maya obeyed, but not before picking up the notebook and the pencil with eraser on the chair, courtesy of the Sisterhood. She did not even realize she was smiling.

Taking advantage of the movement to sit on the chair, Alice looked back to know exactly where that pale girl was sitting.

Partly because Madre had limited knowledge and partly because there was an age difference between the novices, the classes presented basic notions of mathematics, grammar, geography and history, there were also calligraphy sessions. Maya and Alice had mastery over those topics, especially Maya, and it only served to pass the time.

What was really interesting were the classes on magical girls and witches.

Madre began to write on the blackboard. "Today we're goin' to talk about the classifications that the Sisterhood has defined regardin' witches."

"But ya still call them witches," A novice commented, soon regretting a little for the intrusion.

"Hmmm... Yes, most of the time, as it's the term used by the Incubator." Madre turned to the class. "Howevah, the Sisterhood has the challenge of bringin' togethah magical girls from different backgrounds and cultures, who use colloquial terms. With that, the need for a standard arose, and these classifications are useful when it comes to teaching about what we're facin'. Any questions?"

The room remained silent, some novices shook their heads.

"I know that for some this is a recap, but I want ya to pay attention." She returned to writing on the board. "Our classification uses the Greek alphabet, startin' with alpha, which are the familiars, but not any familiars but those who live within the barrier of their respective witches. Those who stray from the witch barrier we classify them as beta and they have an important relationship with the delta class, which are the witches themselves. Have any of you ever been in the situation where ya defeated a witch and she didn't drop a grief seed?" She stopped and looked back.

Maya did not remember something like that happening, maybe her best friend knew more.

However, another novice had already started to speak. "Y-Yes! I fought a witch and I didn't get a seed, but Kyuubey said it's normal..."

"Yes, it's normal." Madre began to draw on the board. "Since ya didn't fight a witch, but a familiar, beta class."

"Huh?" The novice was astonished. "B-But she had a barriah! And there're many familiars with her."

"Uh-huh..." Using arrows and symbols, she had drawn what looked like a cycle. "Familiars, in most cases, leave the witch's barrier in packs, usually creatin' a smaller version of the barrier around them. They search for negative emotions, makin' victims during this process. One of them ends up absorbin' so much grief that it grows, changes its shape, just as its barrier also grows. An inexperienced magical girl would easily mistake this for a witch and her familiars."

Interested in the new information, Maya carefully copied the drawing on the board in her notebook.

Meanwhile, Alice kept her notebook closed. She tried hard not to yawn, it was too much talk.

"Nevertheless, this isn't the critical point in the relationship between the beta and delta class," said Madre, already facing the novices, "you have already learned about what happens when the soul gem is destroyed, but for the grief seed? What happens?"

"The witch, or delta class, whatevah, dies for good, yeah?" Alice replied with some irony.

"No..." Madre paused, examining the reaction of the novices, before continuing, "the moment the seed is destroyed, a beta class, the strongest among them, will become the witch. At the end of the process, it'll have the same seed that had been destroyed."

Maya stopped blinking her eyes, that knowledge was terrible and illogical, just as witches were.

"That's why a defeated witch in one city can be found in another city, or even in another country. This depends on the nature of each witch, none is the same as another. Some are more centralizin', their familiars protect them or go out in search of victims to brin' to the barrier, like bees to the hives. While other witches travel the globe, spreading their minions wherevah they go." Madre raised her index finger to represent a number. "But there's somethin' in common in all of them: there'll always be only ONE grief seed. So write it down, if there is a grief seed, even if the witch is dead and there's a beta class strong enough, nothin' will happen. Howevah, as soon as it's destroyed, one of the beta class will react immediately, no matter the distance. We already tested it."

The new novices took notes in their notebooks, each in their own way. Even Alice wrote it down with a simple sentence.

**Witches are fucking shit to kill.**

"Now I'll talk about the epsilon class." The red-haired woman walked up and down the room, slowly, as if she wanted to hear each of her steps on the hard floor. "It's possible that you have heard this saying: witches hunt people like magical girls hunt witches. An experienced magical girl, with a fresh soul gem, manages to defeat most witches alone, some will even try to run away from the girl. Howevah, there're witches with dangerous artifices or combative behavior. In addition, any witch who has magical girls in her history of victims automatically becomes an epsilon class. So, when someone mentions that you're goin' to face an epsilon class, be extra careful and you bettah do it in a group." She stopped and waited for the novices to finish writing in their notebooks before proceeding. "And finally we have the omicron class, which are conglomerates of witches that act as a single entity. Usually, when a witch meets another witch, they fight each othah to the death. We have no idea how this works, but in some cases they decide to come togethah, perhaps in an alliance or the stronger one absorbin' the weaker one. When a large number of witches come together, they become a true leviathan, who doesn't hide in a barrier because they fear nothin' and they have absolute destruction as their only goal. Fortunately, this class is rare. You may have heard of Katrina, the omicron class who was defeated in the Bastion of New Orleans, where Generalíssima fought and became a heroine."

A novice raised her hand. "Is Walpurgisnatch an omicron class?"

Maya and Alice looked at each other, puzzled by that name.

"She could be..." Madre opened a smile. "There was a lot of discussion about it and it was agreed that Walpurgisnatch would have a class of its own. The sigma class or, unofficially, enigma class, due to our inability to locate this witch and find out where she'll attack again, which can take decades to happen. More questions?"

Another novice, making a face, ventured to ask, "Is there an omega class?"

The woman shook her head. "Fortunately, no. Omicron class is already a big enough threat to our world."

"Isn't killin' witches a sin?"

Everyone in the room turned their attention to a novice, who was surprised by the repercussion of what she had said.

"Why do you ask that?" Madre nodded. "Proceed."

The girl took some time to find words. "It's just... Magical girls become witches, so wouldn't we be killin' them? Is there no othah way?"

"God judges wisely," stating, Madre's expression transfigured into something less maternal, "if there's anyone who must answer for his actions, that someone is Incubator."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Arriving at the refectory, Invader sighed, a little for the relief of the place being empty and a little more for disappointment. She walked through the room, to an adjacent open space. It was the entertainment area, with various types of games on shelves to be picked up and used by bored members.

However, the person that Invader was looking for was in front of the television playing video games, sitting on a pillow, her white fluffy tail, and headset in her human ears. "Hello."

Lucky turned her head, taking off the headset. She was very excited. "Ah, g'day! I can't believe ya came!"

"You keep insisting..." The Asian girl approached the television. The screen showed a warrior girl in a forest, fighting enemies that looked like colorful gummy candies with cute faces. The game box on the floor had its title in Japanese. "'Magica Frontier'. Is this the game you want me to play with you?"

"Yeah... but not with me. Hehe..." Embarrassed, Lucky opened the biggest smile she could. "Only ya can help me now, ya know. I wanna complete this game 100%, befoah the world ends if it ends, of course."

"Don't let Generalíssima hear this." In a quiet voice, Invader asked, "Just to be sure, do you want me to use my magic to enter the game and complete it for you?"

"Naaaah~" The bunny girl winked. "It's just a score achievement."

Invader rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but her leg was hugged.

"Please! I stay one hour in the security room in yah place!"

She took a deep breath and tried to pull her leg.

"Two! Two hours in the security room!"

She tried again.

"Wadaya think I am?! I won't sell my soul gem!"

After pressing her lips and raising her eyebrows, Invader said, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Really, REALLY?"

"Yes..."

"Yaaay!" Lucky let go of the other girl's leg and made a gesture with her hands, forming a heart with her fingers. "I knew Invadah had a heart of gold."

The ballerina magical girl looked at the bunny. "Four hours in the security room."

"Hmmm..." Lucky kept the gesture, but she was not so happy. "Silvah heart."

"Let's get this over with, I can't leave the security room empty for too long." Invader's gem shone. "Remember, you won't be able to communicate with me directly, even by telepathy, so use the microphone."

"Gotcha." Lucky pulled the microphone of the headset closer to her mouth and had the impulse to thank her again in a very special way. " _Arigatow kawaii desu~_!"

" _Gozaimasu..._ " Invader's image became fuzzy and transparent, and her body dissolved in a clear blue light that entered the video game console.

The TV screen went black and the logos of the companies that produced the game appeared, announcing that it had been restarted.

Lucky got the controller. "Just give me a moment." She accessed the character selection screen, which now had a new option. "Holy crackers! These're the cutestest pixels I've evah seen!"

A text box appeared on the screen, accompanied by the pixelated portrait of Invader.

**I'm not wasting my magic for this!**

"Hey, I'm going to start." Lucky waited for the loading screen to finish, and to appear Invader on the street of a destroyed metropolis, before she abandoned the controller. "From now on, ya should be able ta do everythin' yahself."

The girl in the game turned around. A new text box, now with her frightened portrait, appeared.

**Where's the forest? And those colorful creatures?**

"Ah, that was the tutorial." Lucky smiled. "Magica Frontiah is about magical girls against an army of killah machines. This is the penultimate level. The last one isn't even difficult, the final boss is a jo-"

**WHAT?!**

Seeing the angry portrait of Invader, she said, "Calm down! If ya die, all I have ta do is restahrt the game and everythin' will be fine, right?"

**Still, it's not cool to have your body dismembered by cannon fire and I'm going to have to spend more magic.**

"Don't be silly! I'm sure the othah characters are nowheah near as strong as ya are. This'll be a piece of piss."

**I don't see anything.**

"Huh?" She scratched her head. "Are ya blind?"

**It's not that, the programmer of that game must have implemented trigger events for enemies to emerge.**

"Oh, I don't understand anythin' about this esotericism..." Lucky adjusted the headset on her head. "But then I'll be yah copilot! I already memawrized this level so much that I know that three missile drones will come as soon as ya take the first steps."

**Let's see.**

Lucky saw the drones appear as soon as Invader started walking. She also already expected the attack that the girl would use, extending her long sleeves even more and using them as whips. What surprised her was the fact that the drones were sliced in two in a single stroke. "Yikes! This isn't good, ya need ta do combos."

**Combos?**

"Ya need them ta get a highah score and fill yah special bar at the top of the screen."

**I have no way of paying attention to it when I'm face to face with things trying to kill me.**

"At least try ta use weakah attacks." Lucky pressed her temple. "And now... eh... there's gonna be a battle tank."

**Don't you remember?**

"Of course I remembah! Watch out for the spike armor." After seeing Invader dispatch the enemy easily, she felt more confident. "20 hits. Noice! Now there'll be a tank and two drones."

"And now a big robot with flamethrowah."

"The next enemies are two tanks, watch yah back!"

"It's great ta see ya spin! It looks like ya're dancin'. Be careful that'll come a school of mega mecha sharks."

**Mega what?! Will there be water here?**

"Nah, they swim through underground."

As Invader overcame each new challenge, Lucky became more anxious about the score that kept rising. After the long-sleeved girl defeated five robots under an orbital bombardment of lasers, she was injured.

**Doesn't this game have healing items?**

Lucky shook her head as if the other girl could see. "Not in extinction difficulty."

**I better stop asking...**

Noticing the surly portrait of Invader, Lucky encouraged her. "We'ah almost theah now, we just need to beat the bloody boss, codename Stelaris."

In the game, the girl moved on, arriving on a great avenue when, suddenly, a huge metal ball fell from the sky, causing a crater.

**Is that the boss?**

The ball began to float and neon lights formed patterns on its surface, pointing at Invader.

"DODGE!" Lucky almost bit the microphone.

The sphere fired a devastating bolt, but Invader had already jumped and countered. Her sleeves whipped violently against the metal surface, however the sphere only vibrated slightly.

"It can handle a lot of beatin', just keep beatin'!"

The sphere fired lasers in all directions, living up to its codename. Invader managed to avoid the attacks with grace, however she had few opportunities to damage the boss, her sleeves ended up being burned and cut by the lights.

**I can't destroy it.**

Lucky was glued to the screen. "Use the special!"

**How do I use it?**

The freckled woman opened her mouth to speak, but realized that she had no idea. "Hmmm... eh... Try to imagine... the most powahful attack ya can do if ya don't care about yah gem."

Invader did not answer back, but she stopped attacking with her sleeves and looked for a more distant and safer position. Her gem then shone strongly.

The brightness took over the screen, leaving only the silhouette of the characters. Blinded momentarily, Lucky stepped back. "Whoah!"

Invader's silhouette deformed, with a wing sprouting from her back and growing. When the glow faded, she was flying and in a trance.

Ignoring that, the boss continued to attack, but the lasers fired at the girl curved and circled through the air, as if they were obeying her.

"Beautiful..." That was what Lucky could say when she saw the lasers hit the sphere and it exploded in a light show.

When the lights were gone, Invader was sitting on the ground of the destroyed avenue, breathless.

**Is it over?**

"Mission complete!" Lucky repeated the words on the screen while waiting for the final score. Her happiness was short-lived. "Oh, ya got the SSS grade."

**It looks great.**

"Yeah, bettah than I can, but the score to obtain the missin' achievement is SSS++. It must be because the game didn't count the boss's attacks that went against it as yours, so no combo. Nothin' ya can't avoid next time."

When the text box appeared, Invader's portrait was astonished.

**What do you mean by that?**

"It's pretty quick." Lucky took the controller. "I just need ta load my saved game."

Suddenly, there was only snow on the screen.

"Invadah?" Lucky watched the screen go black, except for the pixelated image of Invader who was looking directly at her. "Didya reset the game?"

Invader started walking as if she were going towards the camera.

Lucky smiled in the face of silence. "Hehehe. Ya're scarin' me now..."

The image grew and gained resolution, becoming more and more realistic, and making it clear how furious the girl was.

"Oops!" Lucky left the controller and got to her feet. "Generalíssima has just called me telepathically. It seems like it's just me and it's very urgent. Anothah time we talk about it... right?"

Invader reached out and her sleeve-covered hand crossed the screen.

"Eeeeekk!" Lucky ran away. "Cya!"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

After the lesson with Madre, the novices had returned to the dormitory.

Not that it was a reason for Alice to celebrate. Lying on the bed, her yellow eyes focused on the gray ceiling, she vented. "Ah, what a fuckin' place. There's no mobes, no Internet, on TV ya can only watch old movies... How can someone live like this?"

Maya, who was sitting on the neighboring bed, replied, "Well, they said it's safer that way, or these new witches can find us."

Alice rose, punching the mattress. "They confiscated our belongings! This looks more like a prison." She pulled her uniform shirt. "Look at this! I want my clothes back."

"They said that there's no way to have a closet for each one of us and it could generate fights."

Alice shook her head at what Maya said. "Yeah, yeah, they say too much..."

"Ya should be grateful that there're tampons."

The blonde looked at her other bed neighbor.

The novice continued, smiling, "Didya know that ya are allowed to wear yah magical girl uniform? Ya just aren't allowed to carry weapons, only sisters can."

"Nah, my clothes are only for fightin'." Still, that information captured Alice's curiosity. "Have ya been here a long time?"

"I ain't a refugee like you, I was recruited by the Sisterhood before things got bad. Now I can imagine why they were recruitin'..."

Alice was somewhat offended by the way she had mentioned 'refugee.'

The novice continued, "Ya didn't have any seeds, didya?"

Maya was surprised. "How do ya know?"

"It happened all ovah the world," the novice gestured as she spoke, "first, out of nowhere, Incubator stopped makin' new contracts, then, ya now know, the population of witches started to decrease..."

Alice lowered her gaze, it was still difficult to admit that correlation.

"And now he hasn't even been in contact with magical girls anymore, it seems that he left the planet." The novice opened an even bigger smiler, but it only lasted a short time. "It would be almost good if it weren't for these new witches... They say that's why the witches disappeared so fast, they would be evolvin'." She raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath. "It's pretty scary."

"Have you seen any of these new witches?" Maya asked.

The novice just shook her head.

"Ya shouldn't be like that with rumors," Alice stated, soon followed by something she wanted to know for a while, "d'ya know where we are?"

The novice grimaced. "Not exactly."

The blonde rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Ehh... Hmmm..." Maya risked a question for the novice, "did ya also 'wake up' here?"

"Ah yes. Ya also gave yah gems to Generalíssima."

"Only aftah much insistence from that Madre, sayin' that they had a safe place and would take care of us, did she even purify our gems. How did I fall for this..." Alice mumbled some unintelligible words before speaking again, "as soon as we put our gems in the hand of Generalíssima, we woke up heah in this uniform. Like... 'What the fuck?!' We should nevah have trusted them."

Maya reminded her friend. "We're no longer findin' witches in the city and we couldn't go any further without our families knowin'. Our gems were too dark. I felt chills and I had no desire to get out of bed. You're also sick and tired."

"They had been purified." Alice looked at the gem in her ring. "We could find a way..."

The experienced novice nodded. "You're lucky ta have been found in time by them."

"Luck?" Alice gritted her teeth, letting out a whisper, "They even stole our freedom."

"What worries me most is what they may have done to us while we were unconscious." Maya hugged herself. "Did they implant somethin' in our bodies? Like a tracker, I think there's even a movie like that."

"Hahaha! The Sisterhood would nevah do that," the novice said, "they'll require discipline and commitment, but they really want the well bein' of us all. During that time heah, I learned so much from the sistahs and became a much bettah magical girl."

"Throwin' yah life away at the same time?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"UUUUAAHHH! I WANNA GO HOME! UUUHHhh..."

Maya and Alice looked at a group of girls circling a bed, where there was a novice who must have been crying for some time.

A novice was using a seed to purify that girl's gem. "We miss our families too, but no one here's alone. Ya can't go on like this..."

"Let her become a witch."

Alice recognized that damn voice immediately.

A little far away, the pale girl was resting on her bed, more focused on cracking the fingers of her hands. "It's bettah now than when we're asleep, and a new seed is always welcome."

The group of girls was silent, looking at her with contempt.

In a low tone, Alice asked the experienced novice, "What's her problem?"

"Ah, Evie?" The novice shook her head, smiling. "She's not very sociable, you bettah ignore her."

The blonde frowned. "Evie? Is that the name of that bitch? She looks like a bogan."

"She looks older than the other girls," Maya spoke.

"Yeah," the novice confirmed, "she was the first novice recruited ta be trained heah, that was a few years ago."

"So that's it..." Alice looked at Evie and declared, not caring if she would be heard, "she thinks she's the queen of novices."

"It's more complicated than that..." The novice began to whisper. "Didya notice the tattoo on her arm?"

No, Alice had not paid any attention to that, but seeing the tattoo would not be a difficult task, as Evie kept her shirt sleeves pulled up. On the right arm, close to the shoulder, there was the drawing of a snake, but cut at the bottom part.

"D'ya see that it's incomplete?"

Alice nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I noticed. I would ask for a refund from the tattoo artist who did this shit job."

"There marks the point of amputation of her arm."

With a wider gaze, she turned back to the novice.

"She arrived in this state heah. In fact, it was more of a rescue than a recruitment."

"How terrible." Maya lowered her head, her frightened eyes denouncing what she was imagining. "Did a witch do this to her?"

"No, it's worse." The novice lowered her voice again. "I heard some sistahs and rumors. Evie was part of a gang of magical girls who robbed people."

"I knew it." Alice clenched her fists.

"But it wasn't just anybody, only the ones they saved from witches. They took the opportunity while the victims were unconscious, I think as a form of payment."

"Payment?" She no longer hid her disgust. "Isn't seeds enough already?"

The novice shrugged. "I dunno, I just know that her gang has been in conflict with another gang."

Maya leaned over, more curious. "B-Because of territory?"

"Because of one girl who was datin' a boy of anothah girl. Hard to believe, right? And because of that, Evie's gang was slaughtered. Only she would have survived."

Maya clasped her hands over her anguished chest. "Oh my God..."

While Alice was not so impressed. "So does she have a trauma? This doesn't mean that she has to act like a moron. Don't they keep boastin' that in the Sisterhood you can start a new life?"

The novice nodded, but her expression was bitter. "I don't remembah Evie tryin' ta make any friends around heah."

"She doesn't really deserve it." Alice crossed her arms and lifted her chin a little, distilling her grudge. "Look, if there weren't so many cowards here, she woulda changed her personality very quickly."

"I warned ya, ya bettah ignore her." With that, the novice left. "I'm gonna the bathroom, excuse me."

Concerned, Maya sent a telepathic message. [ _Alice, do you intend to confront Evie?_ ]

[ _No._ ] She glanced at the pale girl. [ _Only if she messes with us._ ]

Lucky ran to the dormitory and jumped, turned around midair, and landed looking at the tunnel she came from. She stood in that position for a few seconds, until she exhaled in relief. "Phew! Anothah day alive."

"Look, it's Lucky."

The bunny girl turned to a group of girls around a bed. "Hey! G'day, novices, what're the good news?" As she approached, she noticed the tears on the face of the girl sitting on the bed. "What happened?"

"She misses her family," a novice replied.

The novice who had cried then asked to the sister, "Do you miss yours?"

"Me?" Lucky pointed to herself. "I was nevah able ta reconcile my routine as a magical girl with the rest of my life. My mom kept sayin' she was gonna kill me if one day I came home preggo..." She smiled in nostalgia. "My dad lived more in his truck than at home. I think I was inspired by that and one day I decided not ta return home. Well, I have a new family now."

Another novice asked. "Is it true that you wished to have luck?"

Lucky put her hands on her hips, as if she were bragging. "Of course!"

"But luck for what?"

"Luck for... huh?!" She scratched her forehead. "I wished for luck, nothin' in particular."

"Do you think your wish has come true? With everything that's happening..." The novice grimaced. "It seems a waste to me."

Lucky narrowed her. "Ya think I was always a happy silly bunny, right? At the time I made my wish, I was very sad, I think I was really depressed, with suicidal thoughts."

The novice who had cried opened her eyes wide. "You?"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" She nodded several times. "That's when we ask those questions without answers, like 'What is the meanin' of life?' Or 'Why am I heah?' And then a spark came ovah me."

The novices, so captivated by the sister, already formed a circle around her.

"A man ejaculates hundreds of millions of sperm, but only a few thousand arrive in the womb and usually only one fertilizes the egg. If this one had the Y chromosome, it's almost certain that I wouldn't be heah with you. And it has to happen at the right time! Otherwise, the egg won't implant in the uterus, it would end up in a dumpster or in the sewer, and I certainly wouldn't be heah. And there's more! The chromosome could be defective and I might not even survive pregnancy, and even if I was born healthy, I could be part of the statistic of babies who stop breathin' and die suddenly." Lucky opened her arms. "Look, I'm just talkin' about babies! We have the universe as an example."

The novices, some with their mouths open, nodded.

"We live on a planet full of life amid a lifeless abyss in all directions." Lucky froze for a moment. "I mean, now I know that Incubator is an alien, but at that time I didn't know. Whatevah, are you seein' the pattern? I had read a news story about scientists who believe that things can come out of nowhere, 'somethin quantum' I think, it's just a matter of probability. Imagine the universe originating from that. Madre will say that it was God who created everythin', but it doesn't mean that He didn't use a tool for that."

A novice, somewhat overwhelmed by that talk, asked, "Hmmm, luck?"

"Yeah! If ya stop ta think, it's clear as day. Luck is the most powerful law in the universe and I just wanna be on the bright side of it. Hehe, who wouldn't?" Lucky turned her attention to the novice who had started this subject. "And as for my wish ta have come true, I'm sure of that. That's how I joined the Sistahhood."

"Are ya gonna tell that story again?"

Lucky looked at the novices around her. "Who said that?"

They smiled and whispered, "It was Evie."

"Ah ok, duuh..." Lucky pulled her rabbit ears to hide her face. She then went on, "After I left my home behind, I started ta have a nomadic life, ya know. I ended up crossin' paths with anothah magical girl and we became friends. She thought I was supah cute and she was very good with daggers, she could hit a target from miles away. She always told me that she didn't need luck..."

Someone in the group said, "Was she from the Sisterhood?"

"Nah, we didn't even know what that was. Our business was ta get a quick cash and live with very little. There were times when we spent the whole night on top of a buildin', lookin' at the stars and talkin' bullshitery that we didn't even remembah the next day. Those moments with her made me feel more alive than all my years with my old family." Lucky realized she was smiling, but she knew she could not go on like this. "We invaded a territory without knowing it and we were captured by a group of magical girls. They tied us up and started torturin' us, cuttin' our bodies bit by a bit."

"But can't ya block the pain?"

"Oh yeah, I wasn't aware of that, but we end up blockin' it out of instinct. Howevah, what those girls wanted was ta make our gems wear out tryin' ta heal us, until we became witches and they got the seeds." Lucky's eyes widened. "It was then Revah appeared and she vanquished them all!"

The novices were amazed. One said, "Are you talking about Revenant? Alone? How many girls were in this group?"

"Seventy!" Lucky affirmed.

"Seven..."

Lucky and the novices saw Revenant approaching.

The black woman continued, "Seventy wouldn't be a group, it would be an army. And I wasn't alone, theah was Madre too."

Lucky protested, "Ah, but what she did was just heal."

"Hey," a novice asked, "what about yah friend?"

Lucky replied, "Ya're holdin' her."

The novice frowned her brows and then looked at grief seed in her hand. On the dark surface of the seed body was a metallic ornament in the shape of a dagger.

"I had luck..." Lucky's mouth smiled, her face did not.

"Enough of stories, I have a job fawr ya." Revenant pushed some novices slightly, giving the clue that they should disperse. "Inquisitawr went ta the purification room, so I want ya ta go and collect the used seeds. There must be some with Generalíssima, Nano and Matrysomethin'..."

"Matryoshka!" Lucky took her friend's seed, then came close to Revenant and shook her ass, brushing her fluffy rabbit tail on the black woman. "Silly."

"Hurry up, drongo!" The muscular woman gave a hard slap on her back.

The sound of the blow was so great that some novices could almost feel it too.

"Owowowoww!" Lucky gave little hops, but then she turned around, winking and smiling, "Oh, I'm kiddin', it didn't even hurt. I know Revah wouldn't really hurt me, because she loves me."

Revenant opened her mouth to give an answer to that, not that she had any idea how, but Lucky was already running for the exit. Hearing whispers and giggles, she covered her face with the palm of her hand.

The bunny girl went down the long spiral staircase, reaching the intersection with the wide dark corridor. She went to the corridor where the sisters' rooms were.

Right at the first one, numbered **00** , she stopped and flicked the metal door. [ _Are you there, Generalíssima? Can I bother you?_ ]

[ _The door is unlocked._ ]

With the confirmation, Lucky only had to press the big button on the electronic panel for the door to slide.

Generalíssima's room, even though she was the leader, was like those of the other sisters. There was little space and furniture. The bed was a mattress on concrete and the owner of the room was sitting on it, next to a board.

"Playin' chess alone again?"

"Yeah."

Lucky approached, looking at a panel on the wall with a mosaic of photos, one of the few personal touches in that dull space. They were pictures of the leader in various locations of the world, many of whom she had no idea where it was from, but the most important photo was the one that had the sisters gathered, except Inquisitor, as he had not yet contacted to be brought to the base. Among the sisters in the photo, there was one in which her current whereabouts were unknown. Even if it were useless to hope, Lucky would not remember Valkyrie as someone who was gone.

"The seed is on the shelf."

Generalíssima's statement brought Lucky back to the present. "D'ya know?"

"I know that Inquisitor went to the purification room and I see the shape of a seed in your jacket pocket."

"Wow, I didn't even notice that ya looked at me..." Lucky started to pay more attention to the board. "I dunno how ya can play like that."

Holding her chin, Generalíssima looked at the pieces. "Just follow the rules and always try to make the move that you believe is the best possible. Think of it as a puzzle."

Lucky gave a smug smile. "To be honest, I was gonna cheat at the first chance~"

Finally Generalíssima moved a piece, it was the black queen.

"Hahaha!" Lucky did not hold herself. "What a stupid move, now the bishop can eat the queen."

"Don't you see development?" Generalíssima pointed out. "Do you see this black rook? If I use the bishop to capture the queen, the rook can freely attack my pawn line on the king's side. The only piece I could use to eliminate this threat on the next turn would be the king itself, but in that case the black knight would be able to fork between it and-"

"Okay, okay, okay, I got that it'll gonna be shit!"

"If I don't do anything against the rook, it would also be a disaster for white, even if they still have the queen. The king would be exposed and it's important to remember that each pawn is a potential queen. Hmmm..."

Lucky saw Generalíssima move the white queen closer to the bishop. "Ah..."

"See? Now the pawn line is better defended and..."

Lucky found that sudden silence strange, but then she saw her move the black knight. "Oh noes, in the next turn the knight will be able ta threaten the bishop and the queen at the same time, ya'll have ta choose."

"This is a fork." Generalíssima rubbed her face. "This is what happens when you make a too conservative move."

"Ya can use the bishop ta remove the knight."

"And the black queen is going to capture the bishop. The threat to the pawn line will continue, but it's the white queen who would be stuck with the task of defending it." Generalíssima got up from the bed and took the seed from the shelf, handing it to Lucky.

She did not understand. "Aren't ya gonna continue?"

"I'm going to eat something." Generalíssima went to the door and, while waiting for it to open, looked back and smiled. "As long as I don't make a choice, anything is possible."

Lucky nodded. "That's freedom, right?"

Generalíssima said nothing and left.

Alone in the room, Lucky returned to examine the board, trying to imagine a way for white to get out of that difficult position. As Generalíssima had said, white was playing defensively while black was controlling much of the board, not bothering to sacrifice some pieces for that. Apparently, black would win.

"Will she remember? I think I can help, hehe..." Lucky brought her hand up to the black rook, with the intention of leaving it in a less favorable position.

[ _Do not touch the pieces!_ ]

"Ahh!" Being startled by the voice of Generalíssima in her head, she left the room quickly.

Back at the intersection, Lucky went to the descending staircase. After hundreds of steps, she arrived at yet another metal door that needed a password. After going through the door, she only needed to go down a short flight of stairs to reach a long corridor, where the options were left or right. There were three colored strips painted on the wall. On the green strip was written in white 'Generator Room', black was 'Purification Room' and dark blue was 'Silo'.

"Hmmm, how am I gonna do this..." Lucky reasoned out loud, "if Inquisitor is already in the purification room, then if I go ta Nano first and then Matryoshka, I'll have an excuse ta be able ta see him three times. Yeah, this is what I'm gonna do!" Decided, she hopped down the corridor towards the silo.

However, a blue ballerina materialized out of nowhere.

"GGGYYAAHH!" Lucky fell on her ass on the floor.

Without showing any expression, Invader watched that girl, practically a grown woman, start to whimper.

"Oh no... Please! Oh lady with ice eyes, as beautiful as they're cruel." Lucky raised her hand, as if offering something. "Have mercy and just take one of my seven lives..."

This was not the first time and it should not be the last, Invader said, "You're not a cat."

"Ah... That's right..." Lucky jumped to her feet, all smiling. "So it's okay! Hehe. What passed, passed. Huh? My platinum-hearted friend."

The Asian girl did not confirm, seeking to address a more relevant subject. "Since you owe me, I would like to collect Nano seeds personally."

"Ah, of course! Ya wanna visit yah little sistah."

Invader looked down. "She's a friend."

"Look at the age difference!" Lucky put her hand on the ballerina's shoulder. "Ya don't hafta be ashamed ta admit that ya wanna adopt a little sistah."

"Nano spends all of her time working alone and Generalíssima only thinks about the completion of the project." Invader shuddered. "She and I worked together, I improved the intelligence of her machines. I can't ignore this, so please..."

"Haha! Ya don't hafta beg." Lucky gave a shrug. "If it's less work for me..."

"T-Thank you." With a slight smile, Invader walked towards the silo, but stopped. "I almost forgot, but I have to say that I deleted all your achievements from that game."

"WWWWWHHHHHAAAAAA?!" Lucky opened her mouth and pulled the tips of her fluffy ears.

Invader tried to smile more, but she had been startled by that reaction. "This is just a joke."

Lucky was a statue with a gaping mouth.

Invader's fair skin reddened. She became more serious, bowing. "Forgive me, jokes aren't my forte."

That unfrozen Lucky. "Phew!" With a mischievous smile, she rubbed her gem on her jacket. "For a moment, I thought ya wanted me ta become a witch."

Invader closed her eyes and shook her head, then she left in a hurry.

"Ya're still my supah friend!" The bunny continued to smile at the ballerina's innocence. In that she remembered something and said to herself, "Do I still owe those four hours in the security room? I'll hafta negotiate, but now..." She did a pirouette and pointed to where the green strip on the wall led. "Let's see what Matryoshka is up to!"

The path in that direction was not that long. At the end of the corridor was a huge reinforced metal door, with some warnings of danger and radioactivity. Before the door there were two others, one on each side of the corridor. One was the reactor substation and control room, while the other was the one Lucky was interested. It was supposed to be just a pantry where spare parts were kept, but it ended up becoming the 'Matryoshka's room'.

As the door opened, Lucky felt a chemical product smell, or at least that was what she thought it was. The room had many labeled boxes that served as counters for flasks containing exotic substances, and cylinders of various colors.

There was a table in the middle of the room, where Matryoshka was working, carefully pushing metal bars around an also metallic sphere, but it seemed to be of a different material. She made constant measurements using rulers and a handheld device that made some low crackles sounds.

Lucky has met many magical girls and peculiar garments, but Matryoshka was a case apart... Or maybe it was something common in Russia. She had no idea how many clothes that person was wearing, but she could see a heavy brown leather coat that covered up to her knees, with a proud flag of her country emblazoned on her right arm and on her shoulders were mysterious tap handles. Under the brown coat was a dark blue hoodie that covered her head, while there was also a green skirt that was barely longer than the coat, and under the skirt were a few flexible metal tubes. Below all that, she wore a kind of orange plastic protective clothing, covering from head to toe, even her boots were wrapped in a plastic bag. Her face was completely covered by two masks, one was of rubber, with visors, and the other over it was made of fabric, covering from nose to below chin. The coat had a collar with a large opening, through which transparent tubes came out and disappeared under the fabric mask. In each tube there was a different substance, solid, liquid or gaseous, waiting to be consumed.

Sensing that she had not been noticed, Lucky waited for the door to close before speaking, "G'day!"

Without reply, Matryoshka continued with her meticulous task.

And that was one of the few things that made Lucky anxious. "G'daaaay!"

Matryoshka passed the device close to the sphere, it made more frequent crackles, then she made notes on a piece of paper on the table. Only after that, she left the device on the table and looked at the visitor, while hiding her hands in her coat pockets. "Good day, крольчи́ха."

If it were not for the quite cutesy voice, she would be as scary as a witch's familiar. Lucky did not know if it was the accent or the masks, but it looked like that person always had something stuck in her throat. "Whatcha doing, a model?"

"Model?" Matryoshka placed her hands above the sphere. "No, no, I'm checking the criticality threshold for this pure plutonium-239 nucleus. It's not every day that I can play with..." She suddenly pulled her arms back, as if in a fright. "Do you understand what I'm talking about?"

"Sure! I'm not stupid, am I?" Lucky looked at the sphere, which must have been no more than four inches in diameter. "I know what plutonium is, it's radioactive, isn't it dangerous? And there's this thing of critical hits..."

"It's fine! It's fine!" Matryoshka walked around the table to be able to stand in front of the visitor. "Generalíssima sent you, yes? So I want you to tell her EXACTLY what I'll say."

Lucky nodded. "Yup!"

"Perfect…" Matryoshka continued, "say: the fuel for the radioisotope thermoelectric generator is almost ready, there's only a few tests needed as a safety measure. Can you remember those words?"

"Actually..." Lucky smiled. "Generalíssima didn't send me. I'm heah because of the seeds."

"Seeds? Seeds...Oh!" Matryoshka started to press her coat, trying to feel what was underneath. "Not here... Ah! There!" She then pointed to some boxes, where the seeds were on top. "I always forget that I don't keep seeds that aren't mine."

"Noice! I take the seeds and pass the message ta Generalíssima." The bunny girl put her hands together and smiled more. "But ya could return this favor, right?"

It was a moment of silence before Matryoshka said, "How many?"

"A pint is fine."

"Right." Matryoshka unbuttoned her coat to put her hand inside it and started to search. "Hmmm... No, too small ... No... Not this one either... This..." She then asked the other girl, "it doesn't have to be a glass, yes?"

"Whatevah."

Matryoshka brought a small glass jar with a volume meter stamped on the surface.

Lucky picked the jar and continued to wait. She watched Matryoshka press her finger against her clothing at certain points and heard the sound of switches, then saw her turn two handles on her shoulder, making the sound of gas escaping followed by a bubbling sound.

Matryoshka extended her left arm, leaving her hand over the jar.

Lucky paid more attention to the thick leather glove she wore, and there must be more underneath it. Thin transparent tubes ran from the sleeve to the fingertips, and under the wrist were tubes too, but they were wider. From one of those wide tubes, a crystalline liquid came out and poured into the jar.

Seeing the jar almost full, Matryoshka turned the handles again to stop the flow.

"Cheers!" Lucky closed her eyes and turned the jar over her mouth, drinking all the liquid at once.

"Go slow, крольчи́ха."

"Aaaahhhh..." With a flushed face and eyes shut, Lucky praised, "This vodka is so good that I almost feel drunk."

"If you want to get high, why don't you stimulate your gem?"

"It's not the same thing." Lucky offered the jar to be refilled.

However, Matryoshka pressed other switches under her clothes before turning the handles. "I'll share with you."

Lucky saw one of the tubes that went to the mask emptying of a clear liquid and be filled with another of the same color.

With the jar and tube full, Matryoshka closed the handles. When she pressed a switch, the liquid in the tube moved, disappearing under the fabric mask. "Hmmm... Talking about not being the same thing... This synthetic vodka doesn't carry the taste of my land."

Before taking a sip, Lucky said, "If this alliance between Souls' Sisterhood and Motherland Union works, I'll wanna meet yah Russian friends."

"You would feel at home in Chelyabinsk-66, we have perfect accommodations for magical girls of your kind there. Then we could take an excursion to Lake Baikal, the scenery is stunning and you could practice deep diving."

Lucky was excited. "It's always hot heah, I really wanted ta cool off!"

"Ah yes, it's a very chilling experience..."

Lucky would take another sip, but she was surprised by a flash of bluish light that lit up the room. "Wha-"

"ЧТО ЗА ХРЕНЬ?!"

She saw Matryoshka turn around and violently knock the metal bars off the table, making a tremendous noise. After that, the blue light was gone.

"КАК ЭТО СЛУЧИЛОСЬ?"

Her voice was so angry that Lucky felt it was better to say nothing. Wide-eyed, she drank what was left in the jar.

Matryoshka had her hands very close to the sphere. "Жаркий... Жаркий... Жаркий..." Still with a quick breath, she picked up the device on the table and read it, "a peak of 27 sieverts."

She sounded calmer, Lucky asked, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, we're magical girls." Matryoshka dropped the device on the table, but ended up missing it, it hit the edge and fell to the floor. She went back to the visitor and took the jar unceremoniously. "You may feel dizzy today or notice that your gem has darkened a little. In fact, you shouldn't worry, as my body has shielded you from radiation."

"So this is radiation..." Lucky raised her eyebrows. "I thought this was invisible."

"You better go." She put the jar inside her coat and buttoned it. "I have a mess to clean up now."

"Of course." Lucky went to the seeds.

"Do you still remember what you have to say?"

"Radioisotope thermoelectric generator," Lucky spoke proudly, "didya know that I remembah difficult words bettah than simple ones?"

"Good, good." Matryoshka nodded. "You're very smart, Motherland Union always values that."

"Ya hafta teach me Russian someday." Lucky went to the exit. "Byeee~"

"Goodbye." Matryoshka put her hands in her pockets, waiting for the door to close. "Глупая крольчи́ха."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

After parting with Lucky, Invader had a long way to go. First, she passed a T-junction. There was a short corridor that led to a vestibule with the safe and the purification room door.

Inquisitor was there, looking in the direction of the security camera.

Invader moved on. The corridor made a light but long descent, until it reached a curve. She arrived in a room that served as a scrap yard, for discarded stuff during the execution of the project. Considering the scale of the work, the amount of material was small, all thanks to the efficiency of Nano.

She passed through the room and entered another long corridor. By making another turn, she could see the destination.

A heavy double door of metal and there was a humanoid robot that resembled a little girl, its cross-shaped 'pupils' emitting white light. As soon as the robot saw who was arriving, it greeted, "Hello."

"Hello..." Invader found that odd. It was Nano's voice, but it did not have the warmth of her friend's welcome. "Is everything okay?"

"Password."

"Excuse me?" Invader frowned.

"Incorrect password, proceed to termination." The eye lights turned red and the robot stretched its arm, and the hand get inside it, becoming a cannon.

She narrowed her gaze, her gem shining. Becoming a blue light, the magical girl entered the robot.

The machine had some spasms until the light of its eyes became turquoise. It looked at the arm that had become a weapon, undoing it, and went to the electronic panel next to the double door. Without having to press a button, the password was entered and the thick doors began to slide slowly, separating from each other and opening the way.

The robot entered the silo, a tower with huge concrete walls, more than a hundred of meters. All that space was needed for the rocket that was being built there.

A swarm of drones, with their active sensors, approached the robot. Automated forklifts ran from side to side, carrying all kinds of material. Next to the rocket, a large bipedal robot, with a cabin between its legs, was welding a helium tank. It stopped what it was doing and walked towards the invader, making the ground tremble with each step.

The humanoid robot waited.

Being close, it stopped and the cabin descended between its legs like an elevator. As soon as the cabin opened, a child jumped out, wearing a white tight suit. Her right hand was a gauntlet with red clay color and black, wires was coming out of it, running up her arm and shoulder, and ending at the nape of her neck. Her hair was light brown, short in length, but with thick locks, well separated from each other. The skin was fair, but her forehead emitted a glow that was shaped like electronic circuits. Her yellow eyes also glowed, in the shape of a cross.

"Nano." The robot, now with the voice of Invader, placed its hands on its waist. "Was this supposed to be a joke?"

The child smiled. "Eeeehhh... Kinda."

"It seems that today everyone wants to play a prank."

Nano was curious. "Why?"

"Forget it..." A blue light left the robot and reformed itself into a ballerina. Free of control, the robot returned to the silo entrance without delay.

Nano raised her gauntlet and her tight suit dissolved into a metallic cloud. Soon after, the cloud became a casual clothing, appropriate for the hot climate. "Well... It's just that GeneralÍssima asked me to put a robot to guard the entrance, just to intimidate. I was testing this."

"Why would she want that?" Before receiving an answer, Invader already had an idea. "Inquisitor? He already knows what is being built here."

"But he doesn't know for what purpose, nor do I know exactly..." Nano then whispered, "but I think it's because of Matryoshka."

The Asian girl weirded out. "But she's a member of the project!"

"And she doesn't belong to the Sisterhood," the little girl continued to whisper, "I think Generalíssima fears a sabotage."

Invader shook her head. "What would Motherland Union gain from this?"

Nano opened her arms and shrugged.

"Generalíssima is very stressed with this crisis..." Invader sighed and looked at the rocket. "How much is left?"

Nano looked at it too. "You could say it's ready, right? But I found out that the more it looks ready, the more stuff has to do. I would say two or three weeks, not counting the silo elevator test."

"I hope the completion of this project will calm down Generalíssima," after that comment, Invader said, "I came to get the seeds."

"Ah yes!" Nano moved the fingers of her gauntlet and a drone appeared, carrying a tray of grief seeds. "Just let clean a bit." A lid at the top of the gauntlet opened, revealing a compartment through which a gray gem in the shape of a pentagon rose.

"Nano!" Invader scolded, "you have to be more careful with your gem."

"I have an alarm if it gets too bad." Nano used a seed on the gem, and it returned to have an intense white glow, before returning into the compartment and the lid closing.

"Even so, you're using a lot of magic to keep all of these machines working. When the alarm goes off, it may be too late..." Invader lowered her head. "I feel helpless because I'm no longer useful here." Then she saw the child hold her hand covered by the sleeve and deposit the seed in it.

"You make me happy for visiting me," Nano said and hugged her, "when I touch my machines, I know they don't feel anything."

Invader bent down so she could return that gesture, stroking the little girl's big locks. "When you're done here, I'll want you to visit me in the security room from time to time. Personally, no robots."

"No robots." Nano crossed her fingers.

"Right." Invader took the other seeds and went to the exit. "I need to go back or they'll ask questions."

"Ah, already?" Nano said, pretending to be surprised, "next time bring me a chocolate!"

She jokingly replied, "I'm going to think about your case..."

Invader had to return the same long way to the purification room. Coincidentally, she spotted Lucky arriving at the same time.

Inquisitor was waiting in the corridor, an empty cloth bag in hand. "Were you two tasked with bringing me the seeds?"

"Yeah, teamwork, right?" Lucky winked at Invader.

The man looked at the ballerina. "Shouldn't you be in the security room?"

"I asked Revenant to stay there while I was away."

"Revah's theah?!" Lucky did not hold her laughter. "Hahaha! Does she have a debt with ya too?"

"Debt?" Inquisitor frowned.

"It's nothing." Invader deposited the seeds in the bag, then she stepped back and bowed to him. "I'll return now." She flickered like an image a few times, before suddenly disappearing.

"'Nothing'?" Lucky raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh, suuure..."

"Inside joke?" Inquisitor offered the open bag to her.

"Yeah, like that." She put the seeds in the bag without taking her eyes off him. "Here's what ya wanted~"

"Thank you." The man shook the bag and felt its weight, then noticed that the freckled girl was still looking at him. "Something else?"

"Hmmm..." Lucky pressed her lips together and looked up, before saying, "No, I'm very free now."

Inquisitor nodded. "Then look for Generalíssima for a new task."

"Yeah..." With her fingertips, she started playing with her own hair and that gave her an inspiration. "Hey, didya notice that the color of our hair is similar?"

"It's a common color." He replied promptly.

That talk wasn't going anywhere, but Lucky already had a better idea. She opened her jacket more, pulling it back, exposing the curves of her body, accentuated by the tight yellow suit. "It's hot here..."

Inquisitor blinked and looked away. "It's always hot."

That was a good sign. She continued, "D'ya want me ta help ya in the purification room?"

He looked at the bag. "No, you'll end up getting hurt."

She smiled at his consideration. "Ah, but I've lost count of how many witches I've killed. It's no accident that I'm a sistah."

"I'm not talking about witches. In addition, it would be less efficient."

She insisted, "I can just watch it then. Cheering for ya."

"No." He looked at her. "But I thank you for your... offer."

"Too bad." Lucky straightened her jacket and stepped back slowly. "But..." She raised her eyebrows slightly. "If ya change yah mind."

"Lucky."

"Yes?"

"The wall."

She looked back, seeing that she was about to hit it. "Ah, t-thanks!" She looked at him again and held a giggle as she hurried out. "We'll talk, okay?"

He nodded. However, when she left, he closed his eyes and exhaled as he went to the purification room.

Inquisitor stopped in front of the safe, which was a metal cabinet with an electronic panel similar to those on the doors.

"L'Eterno è il mio pastore, nulla mi mancherà..."

He typed the password, unlocking the door. Inside were shelves with more seeds. He put everything in the bag and went to the reinforced door, which was the entrance to the room where his work would begin. He flicked the switch outside, turning on the lights inside.

He entered the room and closed the door, pulling six levers, one for each lock. The walls were dark with fire marks and the weak light was diffused through small, thick glass bricks, with their melted surfaces.

In the middle of the room, with the silence for company, he left the bag on the floor and picked up a handful of seeds. Looking at them, Inquisitor's face became more tense. His breathing became erratic and his body shuddered.

"Papà..."

A black aura formed around his body, as if it were the result of perspiration. As he gritted his teeth and his veins jutted out, he saw that darkness was absorbed by the seeds.

Soon relief came. Inquisitor gasped and tears streamed down his face, while the seeds in his hand pulsed a brilliant light. He threw the seeds, which bounced across the floor of the room.

Then he took another handful of seeds and repeated the process, with the same expression of pain, with the same darkness...

"HHNnngg!"

The seeds began to emit light and he threw them, while the seeds he had previously thrown were already beginning to spread their dark roots over the surface.

And he continued with the ritual. During the time he sowed the room, the walls began to distort and disappear.

Now he was in an immense world, with different terrains and skies, like a patchwork. Disconnected voices were heard and the corners of his eyes saw bizarre beings. Amalgams of familiars, fighting among themselves to see who would own most of their doomed bodies.

Pain, pain, despair. It was the promised hell.

Inquisitor saw colossi coming towards him, made of fragmented hopes and realized nightmares, a mockery to God's creation.

He took the silver cross from his belt and turned it so that it was horizontal. While one hand held the head of the cross firmly, the other held the body.

So he parted it.

The head of the cross was the hilt, the arms were the wrist guard, of a whip with metal wire, while the body of the cross, a faithful stake. While the shadows of the colossi covered the man, the wire of the whip took on an incandescent red hue.

There was no one in the vestibule. No one to hear the sound of the struggle against the horrors behind that reinforced door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Red earth


	3. Red earth

As they taught me, the horizon can be a mountain range, a row of trees of a forest, skyscrapers in a cityscape, where the sea meets the sky or, simply, a line.

Mine is a wall. It is not an ugly wall, it has its charm, with its red bricks and vines with pink flowers. As I recall, when I went to the doctor, there are many ugly walls around the world. Dirty, rusty, broken... It was a sad sight.

Not my horizon. It is tall, soooo tall, and invincible. The sisters ask me to stop looking at it and be with the other children, but how can I avoid it? Whatever direction I look at or from any window, it is there.

I do not like much to look toward the gate. It is taller than the wall and made of dark wood, like a lifeless shadow, a night that will not go away. There are nights when there is a cry coming from there and a sister brings a baby, or babies... They say it was like that for me, I came to this world through it.

The only thing I like about the gate is when it opens, but it is almost impossible to see, the sisters do not let even take a peek from the window. I remember people with different clothes, vehicles on a road that goes on and on, until it reach a curve where everything ends. I remember buildings, I remember them because they were open and people could get in and out. I remember them having banners and signs with funny letters and colorful drawings, they were more colorful than the wall.

But the wall is not ugly, no, it is my horizon. I like to hear the sound that is beyond it. The sounds of steps and engines, people talking, children laughing and crying. The distance is so small that I can imagine myself being on the other side.

They say there is only one way to get out of here and never come back, and that is through that dark gate, and never alone. Sometimes adults visit us and the sisters ask us to behave, as they can be our future families.

I had a friend. He thought it was funny that I kept looking at my horizon all the time. I thought it was funny that he ate the flowers from the vines and did not have a stomachache, but when he stuck his finger in a thorn, he screamed. Very dumb. However, some adults liked him and I could not even say goodbye. They like to take the youngest, those who do not understand where they are and where they are going, this is all very dumb.

Nobody wants me, but the sisters say it is not a problem. God can be my Father, He will always want me.

But I do not care what others want, I care what I WANT.

That is why it is my horizon, a line to cross and I will go, go, until that curve where everything ends. I will cut my roots with this place just as I will do with the vines. My arms and legs are getting longer each day, but my fingers are still thin enough to hold in the cracks between the red bricks. When I start, only I will tell when it ends.

If I go against God, the sisters said that He sends me to hell. I do not care, I do whatever it takes.

I kill Him.

* * *

**Red earth**

The dormitory lights went on.

"TIME FAH THE SLEEPIN' BEAUTIES TA WAKE UP!"

"Aw shit..." Alice did not want to open her eyes, as the screams from Revenant reminded her of where she was.

"YA HAVE TEN MINUTES TA MAKE YAH BEDS 'N USE THE BATHROOM. TWENDY FAWR BREAKFAST. HURRY! TODAY WILL BE A SPECIAL DAY."

"Spe... ciawwwl...?" Maya yawned and strands of her messy hair ended up in her mouth.

"This is just ta motivate the dorbs." Alice slapped her own cheeks to wake up for good.

The congestion in the tunnel to the bathroom was the harbinger of the heated dispute over taps and toilet papers. It was a great perk for the sisters to have a bathroom on the other floor just for them.

Alice and Maya, who was unable to stay in front of the mirror long enough to straighten her hair, went to the refectory as soon as possible. There they found Madre behind the kitchen counter, her smile plastered on her usual serene countenance. There was bread, dried fruit and dark yeast paste.

[ _And no meat. Fuck this!_ ]

Maya smiled at her friend's reaction. [ _They really want the breakfast to be fast._ ]

What was stranger was the fact that Madre was distributing canteens to everyone. "Please, keep it."

As soon as she received it, Alice shook the canteen and opened the lid to smell it. [ _It seems to be water, but why?_ ]

The canteen came with a long strap to wear, which Maya tried on. [ _Maybe Revenant didn't lie._ ]

After the short breakfast, the two girls returned to the dormitory. There they saw a group of more experienced novices, who had already returned and were sitting on some beds and enjoying a chat with Lucky.

"They say Generalíssima eats grief seeds with milk for breakfast," a novice said.

Lucky nodded as she stroked the pair of rabbit ears from one of her white-furred revolvers. "Hehe. Everyday! Ya can bet on that."

Then another novice said, "Dya know why it's difficult ta find Walpurgisnatch? 'Cause she lives hidin' from Generalíssima!"

And one more spoke, "They say Generalíssima killed Katrina with a punch."

Confused, a novice asked, "But isn't that true?"

Accompanied by a colleague. "Yeah, I don't remembah the history of the Bastion of New Orleans well, if it was a punch... but I'm sure it was with a single blow!"

The novice who had mentioned the leader's feat was pondering. "Hmmm... Look, as fahr as I know, no one alive was neah Katrina ta see how it went. But when Generalíssima acted, the witch was defeated in an instant."

"Hey! Hey! I have a good one!" Lucky was spinning her revolver drum frantically. "If Generalíssima kicks yah arse 'nd launch ya ta the othah side of the planet, don't worry, she has all the time in the world ta get there and wait for ya." Then she aimed the gun at her head and pulled the trigger, the drum stopped in a click and nothing more.

The novices shuddered and opened their eyes wide.

The bunny girl frowned. "Huh? Didn't ya like it?"

"Sorry sistah..." A novice looked at the others. "I think we were all nervous for a moment."

"But why?" Lucky pulled the trigger two more times. "Ya know who I am."

A more relaxed novice smiled. "It's true, but this is a natural reaction."

"Haha! No worries, luck is always on my si-" Lucky felt her revolver be pulled violently, to the point that she lost her balance and leaned on the bed where she was sitting. When she raised her head, she gaped.

With a serious expression, Revenant was aiming the gun, her finger already on the trigger.

The bunny threw herself. "Sh-"

The black woman pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bullet almost hit Lucky, making a hole in the pillow.

The novices jumped in a fright. Alice and Maya returned their attention to that group, with no idea of what had just happened.

Still gaping, Lucky looked at the other sister. "ARE YA NUTS?! DYA WANT TA KILL ME?!"

"If ya really trusted yah luck, ya would be aimin' fawr yah gem," Revenant stated, as she dropped the gun on the bed, "weren't ya supposed ta be cleanin' the kitchen? Today the novices will stay with me."

Lucky put the gun in her holster and stood up. "Well, no need ta rush..."

Revenant tugged her arm, forcing her to walk towards the exit.

However, Lucky still stopped and turned around, smiling. "No hard feelin'." And sent a kiss.

The woman crossed her muscular arms and made a surly face, widening her eyes.

The bunny waved and leisurely walked to the exit, wagging her tail.

"Drongo..." Revenant went to the middle of the room, talking to herself, "time ta thicken the skin of these princesses..." As soon as she arrived, she clapped her hands and announced in a strong voice, "Novices! I wanna ya follow me! We're gonna leave now."

Alice and Maya looked at each other, the blonde soon said, "What does she mean by 'leave'?"

The woman left the room, with a line of novices behind her. They went through the tunnels until they reached the spiral staircase that connected with the lower floor.

It was at that moment, for the two friends, that day became special. Going down those stairs was not forbidden, but it was far from being part of the daily routine.

Arriving at the intersection of corridors, they saw Madre and Generalíssima, both with an expression of satisfaction.

However, Maya noticed more the man next to the two sisters, who appeared to be a priest dressed in white. She did not have the courage to look at him in the eye, but she noticed his red gem. The first times she saw him, she did not believe it, were there really magical boys?

Generalíssima asked, "Did you explain to the newcomers what you're going to do?"

Revenant smiled with that conversation, rehearsed so many times. "I'll let their skin speak fawr me."

"There are many of them this time," Madre said, "be careful."

That was not in the script, Revenant stopped smiling. "I bet they're willin' ta do that right now." She then looked at the man, but he did not express anything, there was no sign of interest. "Okay, let's go." She went into the wide, dark corridor.

The lights in the corridor were turned on automatically, probably by a motion sensor. This is what Alice and Maya concluded. The ramp was long and steep, they had no idea how far they had gone up, but they could already see where they were going.

A giant door, the largest they had ever seen, reinforced with solid metal. It should easily withstand a big explosion.

Revenant stopped at that and turned to the novices. "Okay, ya can rest fawr a moment while I deal with some things."

Alice was anxious and she was sure that her best friend was too. That door was the exit, there was no way it was not, and soon they would be seeing the sunlight.

Revenant sent a telepathic message. [ _Invader, what's the situation? All clean?_ ]

The answer came almost before she finished the sentence. [ _There is no one within a radius of more than a hundred miles. With no satellites photographing the region at the moment, a Chinese spy satellite will come in two days._ ]

[ _So we have time. You can open it now._ ]

Some novices were startled by the sudden noise. It was the locks on the door that had been released. Unlike the others, that door did not slide but opened out slowly, making the floor vibrate and letting in a cold air.

Alice and Maya gaped, frowning. Aside from the light from the corridor, there was nothing outside but darkness, but it was not night, the two girls did not even consider this, as they had never seen a night as dark as that. Where the concrete ended, the floor was smooth, moist rock, with small puddles.

"Fawr those who're leavin' fawr the first time," Revenant instructed, "ya must have noticed that the floor looks slippery and it is, so be careful where ya step. C'mon!"

What used to be anxiety turned to hesitation when Alice and Maya walked through the door.

"Go! Go!" Revenant disappeared into the darkness. "We hafta get away from the door."

It was becoming impossible to see anything, the two became closer to each other with the only reference being the nearby novices.

The light behind them started to fade. Maya turned, just in time to catch a glimpse of the door closing.

Total darkness. With the silence, it was possible to hear the sound of dripping and the girls' breathing.

[ _Hold my hand._ ]

Maya heard her friend's voice and felt herself being touched. Her hand quickly reached for it. At the same time, a blinding white light hit her face. The source was not far away and it was waving.

"All of ya, lit up yah gems," Revenant spoke.

The two friends noticed that the most experienced novices had already obeyed that order, using the rings on their hands as lanterns. They had never done anything like that, was desiring for it be enough?

Indeed, it was.

Maya pointed her blue light to where they had come from, trying to avoid blinding someone. The light revealed a rock wall and no indication that there was that huge door. She pointed up and saw an irregular ceiling, with many stalactites.

"Befawre we leave this hole, I have a warnin'," Revenant stated, "I have only one grief seed, and it's fawr me. So don't do anythin' stupid with yah magic. Now follow my light."

Maya and Alice saw the woman point the light at a wall, where there was a large fissure.

As soon as she got there, Revenant climbed the wall to the fissure and crawled into it. Other novices soon followed suit.

"Do we hafta do this?" Maya asked, bringing her hand to her mouth when she realized she had spoken out loud.

"Yeah, I think so..." A novice who was passing by said, concerned.

"I'll go first," Alice replied, "ya come right behind me, okay?"

Maya nodded and saw her friend climb the wall.

When the blonde reached the fissure, she stopped and looked down.

It was her turn. The wall was cold and very damp, strength was not a problem for a magical girl, but having a place to put her hands and feet was still a challenge. Maya saw no other way besides supporting her whole body against the wall, ruining the uniform.

"Take my arm and I'll pull ya."

Maya accepted the arm offered by Alice, but she was pulled so hard that her knee hit the hard surface. She held back the cry of pain.

"Are ya okay?"

"Yes... go."

Alice entered the fissure and Maya could only see the soles of her boots with the light coming from her own ring. She followed her, crawling too.

What they feared has come true. The path through that narrow tunnel was long. The smooth rock helped to crawl, but it was difficult to find a foothold to get an impulse.

Worst of all for Maya was still the darkness. In her attempt to find something to hold with her hand, she ended up cutting it with a sharp rock. With the shock of pain, she lifted her head and hit the ceiling. The limestone scent intensified with hard breathing.

The sole of the boots she was following disappeared.

"Alice..." She had no breath to call for her friend, the air must be running out. The tunnel seemed to narrow further, they would be trapped there. Then she felt someone push her leg, a novice.

"Go!"

The palm of her hand was umid with a thick liquid, it must have been bleeding. "I can't!"

[ _Come on, wimps! I'm bigger than you, if I can get through, you can do it too!_ ]

Revenant's voice sounded in her mind and the urge to cry came. "I can't..."

[ _Maya!_ ]

It was her friend's voice and she saw the sole of the boots again.

[ _I couldn't see your light anymore. Hold my foot._ ]

Maya clung to it and she got the impulse that gave her hope.

Further on, the tunnel became wider, but also steeper, and the smooth rock became an obstacle again. The only way to make any progress was to press their back against the wall to get more friction.

An idea started to come into Alice's mind that they had died and were in purgatory, when she saw a light in the tunnel, which quickly intensified as she overcame the distance. Suddenly, the novice in front of her was pulled.

Clouds and the clear blue.

Arms came and she was pulled. Alice first felt the breeze cool her sweat and then the warmth of the Sun bathing her skin. When they released her arms, she rested her hand on the reddish soil, with many rocks. She took a deep breath of fresh air and crawled to make room for her friend, only when the novices pulled Maya did she decide to stand up.

Maya soon got up, thankful that she did not hit her head while doing this. However, she found that she was completely filthy, the shirt with small tears and blood marks. The palm of her hand had indeed been deeply cut and the blood had mixed with the earth, forming a sticky mass on the wound.

Everyone present was in a similar situation, including her friend Alice.

Including Revenant. "Ya took too long ta get out of this hole! The Sun is already very high!"

While the sister and a few other novices hid the tunnel entrance with rocks and pieces of bushes, the two friends tried to find out where they were.

It was a small rocky hill and where they could see there was a vast expanse of red sandy soil, with a sparse distribution of shrubs.

This view brought some comfort to Maya. "It's the outback..."

"Yeah... We didn't leave the country." Alice used her arm to provide a shade for her eyes. "But I don't see a road or construction. We really are in nevah-nevah." Then her eyes met those of the pale girl, Evie. She was looking in their direction!

"OK!" Revenant drew the attention of all novices. "This was just the beginnin'." She then pointed with her finger. "Are ya seein' that rock formation ovah the horizon? WE hafta be theah befawre noon, unless ya prefah ta cook yah arses in the Sun."

Seeing the black woman go down the hill, being followed by the novices, Alice commented to her friend. [ _Let's go, maybe we can find some sign of civilization._ ]

The terrain of that almost desert was not challenging, but the distance to be covered was great and the Sun, which had once been a blessed reencounter, punished more and more. Adding it all up with the effort to leave the cave, Maya was so thirsty that her canteen was already half empty.

With her dark skin shining with sweat, Revenant did not seem to mind, she accelerated her pace and started to sing, "INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"

"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!" The most experienced novices followed the song.

"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"

"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!"

Maya looked at her friend and saw that she was also making a cringe face. Other novices were covering their mouths to hide their laughter. That was funny for being so stupid.

"I'M A HAPPY GIRL!"

"I'M A HAPPY GIRL!"

"THE SISTAHHOOD WELCOMED ME!"

"THE SISTAHHOOD WELCOMED ME!"

"AND I KILL FACKIN'LOADS OF WITCHES!"

"AND I KILL FACKIN'LOADS OF WITCHES!"

"HEYYYAAA!"

"HEYYYAAA!"

"FACK YA!"

"FACK YA!"

"INCUBATOR, FACK YA!" Alice sang the chorus. It was stupid, but it was a good way to vent.

"STOP!" Revenant raised her arm to make it clear that it was not part of the music. While the novices stopped, she walked around a bush with fruit. "Wild tomatoes. Come and get it."

The novices surrounded the bush. Maya did not have time to pick it up, but she saw that the tomatoes, some ripe while others not so much, were small as cherries, pretty cute.

"Don't eat them yet, they're poisonous, ya need ta dry them first." The sister instructed them as everyone started walking again.

And a new song was sung.

"MY GEM IS MY PRIDE!"

"MY GEM IS MY PRIDE!"

"THE SISTAHHOOD IS MY PURPOSE!"

"THE SISTAHHOOD IS MY PURPOSE!"

"WE'RE LIKE ONE SOUL!"

"WE'RE LIKE ONE SOUL!"

"THAT SHINES MOAH THAN THE STARS!"

"THAT SHINES MOAH THAN THE STARS!"

"U,U, URRAH!"

"U,U, URRAH!"

The rock formation was still distant, but Maya was now certain that it was immense. The canteen was almost empty and the vegetation would be denser ahead.

The group stopped again. Behind so many novices, Alice stood on her tiptoes to see what was going on.

Revenant was facing a serpent. Her steps were careful as she approached the animal. When the lunge happened, the woman jumped with incredible agility, and she was quick and precise to grab close to its head. Without waiting a moment, she twisted the serpent's head and ripped it out. Then she lifted her own head and let the blood from her prey's body pour into her mouth.

Alice's eyes widened and Maya winced.

Satisfied, Revenant showed the body still wiggling to the novices. "Meat fawr tonight." She licked her lips, still stained with blood. "The rivah is close now."

The river was actually a dry riverbed, with some puddles.

"Ya can rest while ya wait fawr the othahs to fill the canteens. Whoevah is gonna use a bush ta do the necessities, make sure it's empty first."

Alice came close to a puddle and did not like what she saw. "The watah is filthy as shit..."

Revenant passed her by, saying, "A cholera or parasite is nothin' ta yah gem compared ta dehydration."

Maya followed the black woman with her eyes until she saw her suddenly stop and turn toward a novice.

Revenant chided, "Why aren't ya sweatin'?!"

The novice remained silent.

"Didya use magic ta not feel heat?" The woman put her hand on the girl's forehead. "Ya dingbat, yah brain is fryin', this'll take a toll from yah gem. There're two ways that a magical girl serves the Sistahhood, remembah that!"

While seeing Revenant push the girl's head and walk away, Maya tried to understand what that meant, or accept it.

After the 'river', there was no further stop to the cliff. The Sun was at its zenith when they arrived and the rock wall did not provide much shelter.

Revenant looked at the top of the wall. "Okay, ya can rest fawr a while, until the Sun moves and we have a biggah shadow."

Even under the few available shadows, the heat was unbearable. Alice took a sip from her canteen, the taste of muddy water was horrible, but she was grateful for that, as it inhibited her from drinking it all at once.

Maya tugged on the collar of her shirt to let air in. "We didn't find anythin'."

"Nobody lives in this hell, only this stupid Sistahhood." Looking at the other novices, Alice searched for the pale girl, trying to be content with the fact that she must be suffering too.

In fact, Evie could no longer be called pale, as her skin was red from the Sun. Despite that, her face was peaceful, sitting on the ground alone, away from the other novices.

"The rest time is ovah!" Revenant caught everyone's attention. "We're gonna climb now."

Alice said to herself, "I knew it..."

Maya looked at the giant wall, frowning. "Climb?"

"When I say climbin', it's really climbin'. If I see a girl flyin' or jumpin' to the top, I'll go aftah her and rub her sorry face on the ground that we're now on!" Revenant nodded and smiled, showing the contrast of her teeth in relation to her skin. "I think the newbies have already got it. Ta become a strong magical girl, ya need ta be a strong girl first. I hope yah wishes have paid off, 'cause yah cushy lifes are ovah."

And they all started to climb the wall. Like the other time, Maya waited for Alice to go first to follow her.

The height they needed to climb was worrying, but Maya realized that it would not be like the cave. There was no darkness and the rock was dry and rough. It was not difficult to find points to put a hand on, and the fact that a magical girl could effortlessly support the entire body weight with one arm made everything easier. The only problems were the wound on the palm that had bothered her again, and the stomach.

Alice was concerned, and impressed by the speed with which Revenant had climbed the rock. While she and Maya had not even made halfway, the woman was almost at the top. The worst was Evie also doing well. "Maya, we have ta go faster. I don't think they'll wait for us."

She saw her blonde friend take more risks to reach higher points with her hands. "O-Ok..."

"Watch out!"

"Huh?" Maya heard her friend and the sound of rocks falling through the wall. They were small pebbles, but they could certainly hurt. Then she heard a shout from above, she looked to see what it was.

A novice's body falling, then the impact on her face. It was an instant for Maya to notice that she was falling too. She opened her eyes and saw the ground approaching. There was no time to scream, just the reflex of protecting herself with her arms before the shock. The right side of her body was the one that hit first and where the pain was worst. Her eyes had closed, a reflex act too, and she did not have the courage to open them or breathe. She heard the sound of the breeze, a lull, and wondered if the injury was serious. It came to her the morbid idea of dying and her body rotting there, as nature intended. She soon dismissed that.

The sound of another impact, the ground shook a little, and someone calling.

"Maya! MAYA!"

She opened her eyes and looked up, seeing her friend Alice's hands and her desperate expression.

"Can ya speak? Broke somethin'?! Where does it hurt?"

The pain was not very strong. Maya moved carefully and rubbed the right side of her body. The arm was ok and did not seem to have any broken bones, not even a rib, a miracle if she was not a magical girl. "I think... I'm fine. Help me to stand up."

Alice helped her and she looked for whoever had fallen with her.

"Sorry..." The novice was still sitting on the ground, panting. The ear cartilage had broken and it was bleeding badly.

"GO BACK TA CLIMB, NOW!"

Revenant's scream echoed from the top of the rock and the novice stood up and went to the wall saying to the other two girls, with all her experience, "That's how it's..."

Alice and Maya looked at each other.

The climb had no further incidents, but it was slow and careful, no one wanted to risk losing all progress again. Because of this, the end result would be no different.

When the two friends finally crawled and rolled their bodies on the top of the rock, Revenant was waiting for them, arms crossed. "Congratulations, ya're the last. As a prize fawr yah performances, no one heah had the privilege ta rest, so GET UP!"

They obeyed. Alice looked crossly at the woman.

"I know it's yah first time, but dya think a witch cares about that?" Revenant pointed to what was happening behind her. "Help the othahs ta clean the area 'n prepare the fire. This has ta be finished befawre night. In the meantime, I'll be huntin' fawr somethin' else fawr us ta eat."

Alice saw the woman go to the edge of the cliff and take a big leap, landing at a distant point. "What a jerk, why didn't she climb down, huh?"

Maya did not answer, she was engrossed in watching the landscape. She found the small hill where the cave entrance was and she found that there was a lake near it, but no construction or road.

The Sun was beginning to set, and a steady and increasingly cold wind was the prelude to what the night would be like. The novices work together to remove the bushes and gather dry branches and leaves for the fire. Although there was a lot to do, Alice noticed that the vegetation in the area was not as dense as the rest of the top of the rock. Probably the other novices had already been there before.

With the pile of branches and leaves growing large, Maya wondered how the fire would be made. She remembered a show on television where they rubbed sticks for it, but that idea was gone when she saw a girl launch red sparks from her gem.

There was no more sun, just a clarity near the horizon. The ground was no longer warm and the wind made the skin crawl. The novices were as close as possible to the fire, which was fed with more branches and leaves.

Feeling weak and hungry, Alice and Maya had already resigned they would sleep there.

"A good fire, well done." Revenant emerged from the darkness, carrying some green leaves and two dead rabbits. "Look what I brought, two Lucky!"

Few novices laughed. However, the atmosphere became more lively. Maya was happy to know that she had not brought more snakes.

Revenant left the bodies near the fire and walked away. "I'll prepare them latah, now I wanna ya form a big circle around me. Ya can sit if ya want."

All novices accepted the last suggestion. With the circle formed, Maya commented to her friend. [ _What will it be? A speech?_ ]

[ _She must want us to say a prayer._ ] Alice looked at Evie and her eyes met hers. She was looking in their direction again!

"Now I wanna ya take yah clothes off," Revenant said.

Maya and Alice were both stunned, uncertain if they had heard correctly, until they saw the other novices taking off their shirts.

Revenant had already taken off her shirt and she was lowering her pants. "C'mon! It's ta remove everythin', even the shoes."

Alice saw that Evie was already naked. "Shit..." Still reluctantly, she started to undress, trying to find a justification for that. Considering the religious background of the organization, she could only conclude that it was a kind of initiation ritual. After taking off her boots and confirming that her panties were in a deplorable state, she hugged herself and went to see how Maya was doing.

The girl was still fully dressed. Despite holding the shirt, with intention to take it off, she did not move.

"Maya, Maya!" Alice called to her, glancing at Revenant. "Ya hafta take it off or we'll get in trouble."

Maya whispered, "But it's cold!"

It was too late. The black woman saw and rushed towards the novice. "Why are ya still wearin' yah clothes?!"

Hearing the reprimand, she lowered her head.

"Ya again..." Revenant came very close to her. "Dya like ta always be the last, novice?"

Without the clothes, the woman was even more intimidating with her muscles, yet Alice tried to explain, "She's feelin' cold, just wai-"

"Shut up!" Revenant did not take her eyes off the dressed girl. "Won't ya answah me? LOOK AT ME! LIFT YAH HEAD!"

"HOW?" Maya shivered. "With that bush on my face..."

Revenant raised her eyebrows and she even heard some giggles coming from the novices.

Due to tension, however, soon there was only the crackle of the fire.

The woman asked the girl, "What's yah name?"

"Maya."

"Dogshit? Is that yah name? It suits ya."

"Huh?" She looked at the woman.

"Now ya raise yah head..." Revenant pressed her lips together. "A fresh fat turd, comin' out of a dog's arsehole. Those that make me feel disgust ta see."

"Hey!" Alice tried to get up, but was easily intercepted by the woman's hand.

"Sit down!"

As if she were made of paper, Alice was thrown against the ground.

"It seems that this novice wants ta suffah moah than ya. I wondah why? Ah, I know..." Revenant smiled at Maya. "She's the bloody bitch who shit ya."

Some novices did not hold the laughter. This was not the case for Evie, quite the contrary, she watched the scene unfold closely.

"Now, Dogshit..." In an aspect of fury, the woman's eyes widened and her teeth opened wide. "Take off yah clothes or I'll rip them off ya! And I'll make ya go back ta the base naked!"

Maya quickly removed her shirt and, crestfallen, started to take off her pants.

"I don't wanna see tears around heah." Revenant returned to the center of the circle.

Still feeling pain, Alice asked her friend. [ _Are you okay?_ ]

[ _Yeah._ ]

"Dogshit was bothered by my hairy pussy," Revenant said to the novices, "which's funny, 'cause witches were magical girls and most magical girls are teenagers. At that age what do they've in mind? Within barriahs, I have come across many 'artistic expressions' of genitalia, but that nevah distracted me." She got more serious. "If ya get distracted, ya die."

The blonde gritted her teeth. [ _She will pay for that._ ]

[ _No, she won't. She's very strong, just by seeing you already know that._ ]

Listening to her friend, Alice had to admit. To make matters worse, she noticed that Evie was once again looking at them.

The woman went to the pile of branches that were being used to fuel the fire and took one. "But that's not why we're naked." She returned to where the novices were and began to draw a circle on the ground. "People started ta weah clothes ta protect themselves, they felt vulnerable. This is what I wanna ya feel. The cold, the hard ground, the insects..." After finishing, she raised her arm with the branch, pointing to the starry sky. "With the universe ovah our heads to remembah how small and fragile we are. The same can be said fawr our souls, no mattah how powerful the magical girl is. If ya understand that, ya may be able ta reach my age." She watched for a moment the reaction of the new novices and left the circle she had drawn. "The rule is simple, two novices entah the circle, only one remains inside it. Spells and weapons are forbidden, don't ya dare ta cheat me, but strengthenin' yah bodies with magic is allowed."

"Does she want us to fight?" Maya thought aloud, horrified, the night was getting worse.

Alice did not like it either, wondering when they could eat. However, she felt an opportunity. She glanced at Evie.

At that moment, the pale girl was paying attention to the sister, carrying the usual apathetic expression on her face.

"You, and you." Revenant pointed to two experienced novices. "Show newbies how it's done."

Maya saw the two girls enter the circle. Both were smiling, they must be used to it. With no warning of the start of the fight, the two struggled, each trying to push the other out of the circle. With the impasse, one of the girls decided to jump...

Like her friend, Alice lost sight of two fighters. The jump was so high that they disappeared into the sky.

Looking up, Revenant was not impressed at all.

Suddenly a thud on the ground.

"Ahh!" Maya was startled by the novice lying on the ground, noticing late that the other also had the same fate. None of them ended within the circle.

Revenant gave her verdict. "Both lose."

The two fighters stood up with some difficulty, but smiled at each other as a sign of camaraderie.

"In a life 'n death situation there's no tie." The black woman pointed to two other novices.

Aware that her turn would come eventually, Maya shook her head. "No, I won't do that..."

[ _You can do it._ ] Alice encouraged her. [ _We have no choice._ ]

The fights continued. When the winner was defined, there was no celebration, just a gesture of approval from Revenant before selecting the two new contenders.

"You..."

Alice's heart sped up when she saw the woman pointing at her. She stood up, looking at Evie.

The pale girl exchanged glances with her, but soon her interest was in Maya.

The dark-skinned girl felt a certain fear.

Alice, on the other hand, could hardly manage her anxiety, trying not to smile defiantly.

"And you."

Another novice stood up and headed for the circle, much to Alice's disappointment.

"C'mon!" Revenant clapped her hands. "This isn't supposed ta take all night!"

Alice had already understood that the fight would start as soon as she entered the circle. The novice she was going to face had a bigger, heavier body. None of that mattered anymore, only anger, for not being able to fight Evie, for not being able to ride the tractor with Dad, for not being able to smell the cut wood and watching the trees grow. Especially angry at seeing Maya suffer because of that stupid Sisterhood.

The novice was surprised by the fury that the blonde came running at her. Still, she was ready, with the gem in her ring shining.

Alice crashed into her using the shoulder, but it was like hitting a rock. With the shoulder sore, she stepped back and her opponent took the opportunity to push. Alice made her gem shine even more, but she was out of balance and losing ground quickly.

"It's no use!" the novice said, "ya're just spendin' magic for nothin'."

"FUCK YA!" Taking advantage of her short stature, Alice reached out and caught under her opponent's groin. "AAAAHHHH!"

The novice opened her eyes wide when her feet could no longer feel the ground.

"AAHH! AAAAHHHH!" With her opponent's body raised over her head, Alice ran and hurled her at whom she wanted to share all those feelings of the past few weeks.

The novice flew towards where Evie was. She and the nearby novices managed to hold her without difficulty.

With clenched fists, Alice this time did not hide her smile as she looked at her.

Evie remained listless. She looked at the blonde and almost immediately started looking at the dark-skinned girl.

Maya turned away.

"Ah, we've a warrior heah." Revenant pushed Alice. "Ya just need ta learn ta get back ta yah place. What we do isn't fawr glory, but an obligation..." She then turned her attention to an old acquaintance. "Evie, do ya wanna go now?"

The pale girl rose.

With a gesture, Revenant called another novice into the circle.

Alice was already sitting down when she noticed that the novice was looking intently at Evie. She must also have accounts to settle.

The two entered the marked area and began to walk in circles, one analyzing the other and pretending that they would attack, looking for an error of the opponent.

Evie took the offensive initiative, but stopped halfway, already waiting for the counterattack.

The novice stepped forward with her arms in front of her, showing her intention to push, but it was only a lure to hide her real weapon: a kick in the shin.

Evie was paying attention. She took her foot off ground, or the magic-powered strike would break her leg.

The novice pressed the attack, improvising her own body to push her adversary.

Taking a long step back, Evie managed to avoid most of the impact, aware that the fight would be decided in the next fraction of a second.

With the hand as if it were a bird's beak, the novice made a sharp strike aiming at her opponent's eye.

Evie tilted her head to the side and felt the sudden pain in her cheek being cut by a nail. This only increased her focus, noting that her opponent was being negligent with the arm she had not used in the attack. She held it and twisted it.

It was the novice's turn to feel pain. She looked at the source of this and felt a hand grab her neck. She opened her eyes wide at her opponent.

With a bloody face, Evie showed nothing but apathy. The duel was over, her thumb pressed the jugular.

The novice tried to reciprocate the gesture, but she could not do it because the other girl had bowed her head. As a last resort, she began to punch violently.

The blows always hit her head, but Evie had already blocked all the pain and remained firm, until she saw her opponent's eyes roll and the body collapses. She did not let her fall, she quickly carried her and left her outside the circle.

The novice drew air through her mouth and her eyes returned to normal, looking at the victor.

"She's fine..." Evie said.

"Ya're slow this time," Revenant commented, "she gave ya trouble."

"She did well." With blood now streaming out of her nose and ear, Evie returned to her place.

[ _She is also strong._ ] Maya said to her friend.

Alice did not answer, wondering if she would do better.

Compared to Evie's, the duels that followed were child's play. None of this made Maya more relaxed.

"Dogshit, come!"

With the inevitable, she got up.

[ _You can do it._ ]

At these times, her best friend's encouragement was so painful. Maya slowly approached the circle. The novice she would have to face was short, with her body still prepubescent, her arms and legs were very thin.

"Get in already, Dogshit."

The two entered the circle at the same time. Maya saw that the little girl was afraid. She must have been a refugee too, and now she was dirty, tired, cold and hungry.

The novice started to approach, with her arms ready to push.

Maya raised her arms too, but remained where she was.

Grimacing, the novice leaned over to reach her opponent.

Maya withdrew her arms to protect her body and, to her surprise, that 'light' push pushed her feet off the ground. When she tried to put them again, she only saw the stars and felt her back hit something hard.

"WATTAFACK ARE YA DOIN'?!"

The stars were covered by the furious face of Revenant. Maya lifted her torso and found herself outside the circle.

"DOGSHIT! I'm askin' ya, what ta fack was THAT?"

Maya looked at the novice inside the circle. "She's a kid..."

"Is that?" Revenant said, incredulous, "So if a witch looks like a child, ya let her kill ya."

Maya frowned. "No, that's not what I sa-"

"HOW ARE YA STILL FAHKIN' ALIVE?!"

Evie, who was watching the Revenant's scolding, paying close attention to the newbie's reaction, noticed that Alice had stood up.

Maya looked at her friend, seeing she clenched her fists and anxious to act. When they exchanged glances, Maya shook her head slightly, it looked more like a shiver.

Alice gritted her teeth and looked down before relaxing her fists and sitting again.

The victorious novice was not very happy with that repercussion. "Sorry..."

Upon hearing that, Revenant turned to her.

Under that intense gaze, the novice froze.

In a sudden movement, the black woman readied a punch.

The little girl cringed and used her arms to protect herself, but the blow was so strong that she was knocked out, her body was immobile on the earth.

"What?!" Maya's eyes widened. "YOU ARE CRAZY!"

"Ya didn't want her ta get hurt, didya?" Revenant looked at her. "Well, this is what happens when ya FAIL."

The novice started to move her face, her mouth was bleeding and tears streamed down her still closed eyes.

Maya noticed and rose to go to her.

Revenant intervened. "Go back ta ya place, Dogshit."

"Yah arse I will!"

The push launched Revenant away, but the woman remained standing with her firm countenance.

Maya also had a similar expression, but soon she put it aside to help the other novice to stand up.

Running her tongue over the blood that was still running from her nose, Evie's apathy became a malicious smile.

Watching Maya take the other novice back to her place, Revenant nodded and pointed to two other girls. "Right! I want ya and ya in the circle. I won't fawrget anyone, huh?"

There were a few more fights until all the novices had participated.

"Whoevah wants ta fight again feel free ta do so." Revenant summoned a small blade, made of a green metallic material, in her hand. "I'm gonna prepare the meat. Someone helps with dryin' the tomatoes."

While the sister removed the skin and guts from the rabbits and the snake, some novices used branches as skewers for the tomatoes and took them to the fire.

Alice was worried about her friend. After helping the novice, she was very quiet and with a lost gaze. "Are ya okay?"

Maya's hands were shaking. "I'm hungry..."

The novices brought the tomatoes, hot and withered. Even though they were small, each novice could only eat a piece or there would not be enough for everyone.

Alice smelled it and her mouth immediately drooled, she took a piece that fell apart in her hand. She did not care much about it and licked it off. The taste was strong, sour followed by a bitter aftertaste, it was not like the ones in the supermarket, but it was like the best one she had ever eaten in her life.

Also using branches as skewers, Revenant was already roasting the meat. The first one that was ready was the snake, from which the woman ate a good part of it, offering the rest to the most courageous and hungry ones who approached. When the rabbits were ready, she took them to the rest of the group. "After ya eat, ya can go ta sleep. Whoevah wants more, help yourselves." She pointed to the pile of guts on the ground.

The size of the rabbits was modest and, as with the tomatoes, each girl was only entitled to a small part.

When Maya received a piece, she was not sure what part of the animal it was. It was singed, with a few pieces of leaves stuck on the surface, the smell was not the best. When she put it in her mouth, she tasted blood mixed with smoke, the leaves that supposedly served as seasoning did not help much. However, the meat was tender and when the warm piece descended through her throat, it brought hope comparable to a grief seed being used in her gem.

After eating her share, Alice decided to check on Evie. The pale girl had put her pants neatly folded over the pair of boots, improvising a pillow, and the shirt was going to be the blanket or the mattress. The blonde then noticed something else. "Hey, didya see Revenant?"

"Nah..." Maya frowned, understanding her friend's concern. "The last time I saw her was when she brought the meat."

A novice was passing in front of them.

It was Alice's bed neighbor, she called her, "Hey, where's Revenant?"

With raised eyebrows, the novice looked at them and then looked around. "Ah, she must have gone ta talk ta God."

Alice frowned. "What?"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Sitting on the highest point of the rock formation, with the contours of her black skin glistening under the light of the stars, Revenant contemplated the horizon. She was certain that the faint range of light she could see was from a village more than a hundred miles away.

A movement in the sky caught her attention. It was a shooting star, tracing an ephemeral line in the complex art of the Milky Way and the infinite.

"There're so many girls in my care."

She smiled, despite the cold wind hitting her back.

"I learned so much from ya and I'm still scared."

She raised her hand and pretended that the lights in the sky were like a cloud of glitter floating in the air. Everything would be easier to achieve.

"I'll not fail this mission, I'll not fail ya..."

Revenant dropped her arm and hugged her own legs, leaning her forehead against her knees and whispering, "I miss ya..."

She returned to where the novices were. The fire was extinguishing, and in order to face the cold, many girls slept hugging each other. Walking carefully between them, the woman arrived where she had left her clothes and took the grief seed that was in her trouser pocket, and then started looking for those who needed it most.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"WAKE UP, STOP DOSSIN' AROUND!"

The morning was yet to come when they all got dressed and jumped off the cliff. They made their way back, crossing the 'river' and singing among the bushes they left behind.

They took less time. Without a break, Revenant forced the novices to enter the cave. "I'll go last ta hide the hole."

With a bad night's sleep and no breakfast, Maya and Alice had to say goodbye to the sunlight to brave the darkness in that harsh environment, at least now it was a descent.

The novices who were arriving in the great room of the cave waited for the lights of the others that were yet to arrive.

Especially the white light of the Revenant's gem. "Okay, stay still while I contact the Sistahhood."

Maya and Alice pointed their lights to see the woman approach a wall.

[Invader? I'm with our novices here. Has anyone seen us?]

The answer soon came.

[ _Good morning. Not even me was aware that you had arrived._ ]

[ _Great._ ] Revenant moved away from the wall. [ _We are ready to enter._ ]

Everyone heard the muffled but recognizable sound of the locks and then the wall moved. The tunnel lights came on, revealing the long descending ramp.

"We can turn off our gems now." Revenant led them.

When they arrived at the base's corridors intersection, Madre was there.

Revenant separated from the group, pointing to the stairs that went up. "Ya girls are gonna take a showah befawre goin' ta the refectory. I bet no one else will complain about the food heah."

Madre accompanied the sister. "Are they all right? Some are stained with blood."

"They're bettah than when they left." The black woman entered the bathroom.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

After the very welcoming bath, Maya went to her locker to dry off. Conveniently, someone had already left new uniforms and a basket for the dirty and damaged clothes. She wondered if it had been Madre.

She did not have time to think about it anymore, as someone pulled her by the shoulder.

It was Evie. "Why do ya keep actin' like that?"

Maya's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"This isn't gonna work with me." And the pale girl seemed to be serious with her lack of apathy.

Alice pushed Evie, standing in front of Maya.

"I was already expectin' that." The purple gaze grew more intense as she smiled at the blonde. "Ya can't resist, can ya?"

Alice lifted her chin. "Why don't ya mind yah own business, huh?"

"Why do ya keep protectin' her?" Evie's voice became softer. "Have ya evah wondered about that?"

"Wow, what a difficult question..." Alice smiled too, a sarcastic smile. "It must be 'cause I STILL have a friend ta protect."

Evie's smile was gone as a purple light enveloped her body, drawing the attention of novices who still ignored that fight. When the light faded, she wore a black sleeveless jacket, with a large purple print on the bottom half that resembled drops hitting a liquid surface. The jacket was open and she wore nothing underneath, not even a bra, but not that she had much to show off. She wore black long-topped boots, closed with zipper, and shiny leggings, with a purple and black checkered theme, with a purple gem in the shape of a four-pointed star at the waist. Her forearms were covered with dark fabric armbands.

Some novices began to leave the bathroom in a hurry.

"Uuuuhhh..." The blonde raised an eyebrow. "I hit a nerve, right?"

"A-Alice?" Maya called, worried.

"Relax, she wanna scare us."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Evie said, "For real, have ya evah killed a magical girl?"

"If I already killed?" Alice shrugged. "Well, from what the Sistahhood says, I've already killed a lot."

"Ya know that's not what I'm talkin' about."

"Yeah, I have ta admit, I nevah killed anyone, but..." A flash of yellow light and Alice was wearing a yellow safety helmet, with a black stripe that started from the visor and ended halfway up to the top. She wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a tight collar, with a black stripe that started at the collar and passed between the breasts, ending just below them. The shirt was short and left the belly exposed, however, there were countless chains that connected the shirt with the yellow pants, where the chain that covered the navel had a metal plate containing a square gem of a mustard tone. The pants had a black stripe on each thigh and knee, resembling an exclamation point, and on the stripes there were several small cuts in the fabric, exposing the skin. She was wearing a modern pair of velcro sneakers. On her left wrist was a bracelet and a light enveloped her right forearm, materializing a chainsaw. "Ya're makin' it be very, very easy."

Maya raised her voice. "Alice! No!"

Evie tilted her head to the side, smiling and looking at the dark-skinned girl. "Ya can put an end ta it."

Maya looked away.

The pale girl stopped smiling again. "Or can't ya?"

"Hey!" Alice pointed to herself. "This fight is with me, loser."

Evie gaped and blinked. "I have been called of a lot of things, but losah?"

"Yeah, I know about yah story. Ya lost a war and ya has been heah for a long time as a novice." Alice nodded. "Now ya're takin' yah frustrations out on othahs."

"Ya brainless idiot, this isn't a school," Evie said, without showing much anger, "the Sistahhood chooses sistahs based on what they need, more than anythin' else. This crisis with witches disguised as magical girls is the perfect opportunity for me."

"Uh-huh..." Alice nodded again. "And I bet yah sistah's name would be Viper."

Evie froze for a moment and then smiled. "This wasn't supposed ta be a secret at all..." Above her armbands a swarm of small purple darts of energy began to appear, which began to rotate with great speed around her forearms.

"Yeah... Enough of talk." Alice started her chainsaw, which produced only the sound of the chain.

"No..." Maya saw no alternative to stop that madness other than screaming, but when she tried, her voice was canceled out by an explosive sound.

Dust and rocks hit Alice's face, which she had no chance to avoid. "Ah... Cough! Cough! What the heck?!" As the dust cloud settled, she saw that there was now a green metal bar between her and Evie. It was stuck in the concrete wall, forming large cracks.

No, it was not a bar, but a javelin. On its surface were engravings that appeared to be faces in agony. When the weapon evaporated, everyone looked at where it had been launched.

Revenant was wearing a large necklace of cylindrical bones and it was the only thing that covered her torso. She wore a green metallic skirt with copper details, it didn't seem to be very flexible and its smooth surface reflected the environment around her. The skirt had a large opening in the center, up to the thigh, allowing to see the space between the legs. She was barefoot, but there were copper bracelets on her ankles, as well as on her wrists and on her neck. An adornment, also made of copper, partially covered the half of her head's top where the hair was shaved.

Evie made her darts disappear.

Even so, Revenant approached with a furious gaze at her.

The pale girl did not lower her head or look away, even when the muscular woman was breathing on her and pushing her with just her body.

Revenant gritted her teeth and said, almost like a whisper, "Ya disappoint me..."

Alice smiled. The black woman's body had the size of two Evie, no, three.

Revenant looked back. "Why dya still have yah weapon? Is it glued ta yah arm? Do I hafta dismembah ya?"

The blonde got rid of her chainsaw, but the tension only increased when the woman stood in front of her. "S-She staaAAHHH!"

Even with her friend being pulled violently by the shirt, Maya did not dare to say a word.

Revenant placed Alice and Evie face to face and took a step back. "Now apologize ta each othah."

Alice grimaced at the sister, doubting what she had just heard. "What?! I won't apologize ta this conceited, disqualified shit who just wants ta screw others! There's no way!"

"Sorry, Alice."

The blonde looked at Evie, reinforcing her grimace of disgust.

With her apathetic face, she continued, "I ended up getting' carried away by the moment and yah bravado, but I really have nothin' against ya. I hope ta be yah real friend someday."

"It looks like she can do it." Revenant crossed her arms, looking at Alice. "And that's what we expect in the Sistahhood."

"Fuck the Sistahhood!" Alice shouted, "we didn't come heah ta be part of yah little group of fanatics."

"Ya didn't understand anythin' at all..." Revenant pressed her lips together, containing her anger. "The Sistahhood isn't an organization, nor a place."

Alice frowned and shook her head.

"If a witch appears and ya hafta depend only on each othah, ya two will be the Sistahhood!" Revenant pulled Evie and Alice's hair, bringing the two close to her face. Wide-eyed, she said, "If ya wanna hate someone, hate ME!"

The two girls were thrown against the wall like rag dolls and crashed on the floor.

Revenant exchanged one last look with Maya, who was as if her feet were nailed to the floor, before turning and leaving.

"I can take it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Inconfidence


	4. Inconfidence

I made it.

After bathing in sheep's milk, the maids are rubbing each part of my body with pumice stone. My skin needs to be perfect for the wedding's consummation.

The procession was so magnificent, I am sure that the others he did were never so great. There were so many elephants, each with a different decoration, luxurious and colorful. Hundreds of musicians played while I was next to my husband, waving to the people of the kingdom of which I no longer belonged.

My mother was very satisfied, now she will be able to visit the palace and be part of the nobility. She has prepared me for that moment since I was a child and he was only the successor.

Now I stand in front of the largest silver mirror I have ever seen, with a gold frame of precious stones, which was now mine. I could see my entire body while the maids passed perfumed ointment on me. They smile, they know that his new wife is beautiful.

However, the most important thing, besides virginity, is a simple and naive smile. My mother said that if the man is a tree, the woman is the vine that coils around its trunk, day after day, until it is completely possessed. I was going to the river carrying a camphor, always at the same time of day, waiting for the opportunity to see him riding on the other side, waiting for him to see that smile that is reflected in the mirror now.

My mother taught me well, but where her ambitions end, mine just starts. Jewels and bracelets adorn me, a diadem with a transparent veil covers my half-naked body, I am ready.

He is considered a god in that kingdom, but I will lie with a man. Your strength is as great as your insecurity. On my way to the room where I must wait for him, I am escorted by guards. The same blades that maintain that kingdom can bring it down. I will be his confidant; he will find in my lap the security that he does not have on his throne.

I stay alone in the room and lie down on the numerous pillows, one more comfortable than the other. There is wine, fresh fruit, and the air filled with the aroma of incense, everything we need to spend the entire night.

According to what my mother said, when she was young, she saw kingdoms and gods disappear. Everything that seems eternal and true, changes or dies. Is that the only truth that does not change? If I have children, my lineage may outlive this kingdom, but it will be their story, mine will have been forgotten...

For now, I need this night to be more unforgettable for him than for me. He will forget the other wives; their offspring will be neglected. He will have in me the love he has always sought.

He will have my body and I will have his soul.

* * *

**Inconfidence**

Madre opened her eyes in the darkness for another day. She left the mattress and turned on the light.

Her small room was almost devoid of everything, her clothes and personal belongings were in the common bathroom for the sisters. On the wall was a small mirror and an ancient cross, partially burned.

She stood in front of that object and made the sign of the cross. Then she put her hands together, wrapped in her red rosary. She thanked for another day alive, she had a very special mission to fulfill.

She left the room to go to the bathroom. The corridor lights came on automatically, it had been a long time since anyone had passed around there, it was likely that she had been the first to wake up.

"...santificato..."

She heard the muffled voice coming from a metal door she was passing by, it was Inquisitor's room. Madre approached the door and looked both ways to confirm that she was really alone in the corridor, so she put her ear close to the cold metal surface.

"...i rimetti a noi i nostri debiti, come noi li remittiamo ai nostri debitori, e non c'indurre in tentazione, ma libraci dal male. Così sia."

Madre stepped away from the door and, with a smile, she continued with her routine.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In her comfortable armchair, her eyes reflecting the lights of the screens, Invader followed the movement of the novices and sisters through the security cameras.

Lunch time was approaching and most of the novices were already in the refectory, setting up tables and chairs. Meanwhile, Lucky and Revenant were in the kitchen.

Normally, Madre would be with them too, but at that time she was in the classroom, apparently preparing the lesson for the day.

Inquisitor was on the middle floor, more specifically in the stockroom. He was carrying a clipboard and opening boxes to see what was inside.

The bottom floor was quiet as usual, Matryoshka was in the reactor control room and Nano must be working on the project.

And Generalíssima was about to arrive.

The metal door opened and Invader heard the footsteps. She glanced, seeing the dark-pink-haired woman. "What do you need?"

"Willa," Generalíssima said, "have any signals from her?"

Invader shook her head, "No, if only there had been an attempt of transmission, I would have warned you."

Generalíssima looked at the myriad of screens, "How's the situation outside?

Invader nodded and her gem on the top of her head flashed.

The images from the security cameras have been replaced by television channels from around the world.

News, movies, soap operas, sporting events, cartoons... Nothing escaped the blue ballerina's icy eyes. "Everything looks normal and I still find it strange."

"Even though Sisterhood is the largest organization in known history, we still represent a small portion of the world's magical girls," Generalíssima's voice grew more melancholic, "they're out there, alone, defending their homes against these aberrations. Furthermore, Incubator has been making few contracts in the past year, so the witch population hasn't grown too much."

"Talking about girls..." Invader made the screens show only news on that subject. "There has been an increase in missing girls who have returned to their families. They all told the authorities a similar story, they had left their homes due to a challenge posted on social media. There're images of these posts."

"Forgery?" Generalíssima inquired.

Invader took her ponytail, leaving it on her lap as she stroked it. "If they are, whoever did this is as good as me."

"So they're witches."

She checked the ends of her hair. "Very possible."

The latina woman exhaled and asked, "What about our refugees?"

The Asian girl returned to paying attention to the screens. They switched to local news. "The police are continuing with the investigation, but without progress. They suspect it has something to do with the challenge I mentioned."

"Good, maybe we can use this story." Generalíssima closed her eyes and pinched the root of her nose with her fingers. "However, there're so many girls. In general, we recruit only a few at a time to avoid this type of problem. If this crisis continues any longer, we'll have to fabricate something else."

"I haven't mentioned it to you yet, but astronomers have identified an anomaly in the solar cycle."

Generalíssima widened her eyes, seeing that the screens were now a large mosaic of the Sun. "When?"

"The solar maximum had been reached and the star's activity was falling," Invader explained, "but weeks ago the activity went up again."

Generalíssima gulped.

With the long silence, the girl in the armchair looked at a woman, who was tense.

"I don't know if this is a good or a bad sign." The woman nodded. "But good work, Invader."

"Generalíssima..."

The woman looked at the girl, who seemed to be afraid to say something.

"When we re-establish contact with Washington, do you believe that they'll approve a large-scale operation in Mitakihara?"

Generalíssima looked away. "It's hard to say."

Invader raised her eyebrows.

"I'm sure Washington already has its own plan for this crisis. And even if they don't, we still have to convince them about my theory. You saw how difficult it was with Inquisitor."

"Yes..." Invader frowned, narrowing her eyes. "I don't remember exactly why that meeting ended, but Inquisitor didn't agree with you, even though he had a certain interest in Madoka Kaname."

"It would be nice to capture her, or just destroy her seed like of the other witches. I don't know if it'll change anything, but if Mitakihara is really the source of this phenomenon, this is our best chance." Generalíssima took a deep breath and her gaze became distant. "The problem is the civilians. If Inquisitor's theory is right, witches would be controlling at least part of the city's population through witches' kisses. If they detect our presence, they could make people turn against us or just make them commit suicide. That's inadmissible."

"It's not just civilian casualties that worry me."

Generalíssima looked at Invader again.

The girl bowed her head. "Pardon me for being pessimistic, but with each passing day I think more and more that not all of us are going to survive this."

Generalíssima froze.

With the silence, Invader exchanged glances with the woman for a brief moment.

"No..." Generalíssima turned her face and closed her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand to hide her trembling lips.

Invader raised her head, holding breath.

"No, you're not being..." Generalíssima's voice sounded more like a murmur. Her eyes now shone more brightly with the lights of the screen. "There's no declaration and there never will be, but when we act, no matter what the plan, it'll be a total war."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In front of the kitchen counter, the novices lined up, carrying trays with plates and cutlery. Although the queue was short, there was still a wait, as there was only one sister distributing the food.

When a novice saw what the sister put on her plate, she made a disgusted face. "Ew, what's this?"

"Pea soup with chicken livah," Revenant said, as she placed a piece of bread and a glass of water on the tray.

The novice grimaced even more. "It smells 'nd looks like a child's vomit."

Without taking her eyes off the girl, Revenant took the spoon from the tray and used it to taste what was in the plate, deliberately making a sucking noise.

The novice gaped.

She put the spoon in the plate, her gaze even more serious. "It's delicious, now eat."

"Damn..." Reluctantly, the novice took the tray away.

Revenant then announced. "I WANNA SEE EVERYONE LEAVIN' THE PLATES EMPTY AT THE END!"

The novices were choosing the tables to sit at. Alice and Maya sat together with other novices. As usual, the blonde saw that Evie had a table just for her, but avoided exchanging glances, especially with Revenant watching.

"The Sistahhood is bein' difficult for ya, right?"

"Huh?" Maya realized that one of the novices at the table had asked her and her friend.

Alice replied, smiling, "We'ah magical girls, I'm not afraid ta get hurt."

An older novice said, "Ya should be more prudent if ya wanna be a sistah one day."

"I don't wanna be fuck all."

The novices were astonished at the blonde.

Alice looked at her friend. "As soon as this crisis is ovah, we'll go home 'n see our families again."

Maya showed a small smile as she worriedly glanced at the others at the table.

The novice who asked the first question said, "But ya can do that and still be part of the Sistahhood."

"Ya shouldn't judge the Sistahhood like that," another novice entered the conversation, "this is an exceptional situation, othahwise we wouldn't be heah but in our cities. Ya would only need ta repawrt yah activities ta a sistah from time ta time and get ready if ya're called."

And another novice was excited. "Yeah, and if ya invite othah magical girls and they're recruited as novices, ya get grief seeds as gifts!"

A novice nodded, saying, "The Sistahhood can help if ya're in trouble. Madre is very good at mediatin' territorial disputes or if it's a witch, they send Lucky."

"That crazy cunt?" Alice frowned. "And Generalíssima? I keep hearin' that she's strong as fuck."

"If it's an omicron class..." The older novice smiled. "But ya're probably dead already."

Alice scowled at her.

Meanwhile, at another table, a novice was putting hair in the soup of a younger one.

"Stooop!"

"Hehe. What's the problem? This tucker is so bad that even my hair can be used for seasonin'."

The other novices at the table were amused by the situation, until they realized who was coming.

The novice who was using hair as a 'spice' noticed that they had become serious, eating the soup, then she felt and saw a hand in a black glove on her shoulder.

The younger novice also turned to see who was and saw a man, a priest. His features were young, but his beard gave him an air of maturity and seriousness.

Both novices remained silent, and so did the man. He took the two soup plates and exchanged them between the two girls.

The younger novice then had the courage to say, "But... she was eatin' this soup, It has her... drool..."

The man still did not say a word, but his gaze was now more intense.

The two quickly turned and started eating the soup.

From the kitchen counter, Revenant had witnessed that.

"It looks like Inquisitor can handle them as well as ya can."

"I wouldn't say that." Revenant turned her head, seeing that Lucky was at her side, still wearing an apron with the print of a rabbit holding a four-leaf clover in its mouth. "It looks moah like he does this ta massage his ego."

"I don't think he's that kind of person." The bunny girl smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Ya're worried that he'll take yah place..."

"WHAT?!"

"Hush." Lucky glanced and whispered, "He's comin'."

Inquisitor arrived at the counter and picked up a tray with a plate and cutlery.

"G'daaay!" Lucky greeted with the happiest face in the universe.

"Good day," replying without the same enthusiasm, the man received the bread and the glass of water, "we have soup today."

"Yeah." Lucky pointed to her apron. "I was the one who cooked."

"Looks good." Inquisitor exchanged glances with Revenant as she filled the plate. The black woman was very quiet.

"Oh thanks!" Lucky pulled her rabbit ears down. "I learned this recipe from my mothah. There's nothin' like home tucker, right?"

"Yes." Inquisitor left in search of a vacant table.

Revenant waited for him to move further away to push and follow Lucky to the back of the kitchen.

The bunny was stunned by this sudden attitude.

Revenant looked at her from head to toe and narrowed her eyes.

"What's it?" Lucky asked.

"Are ya interested in him?"

"Hmmm..." She looked away and cocked her head. "Yes, maybe."

Revenant pressed her lips and spoke in a lower tone, "Ya know he's a magical **girl** , don't ya?"

"The hottest magical girl I've evah seen." Lucky raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Ya don't hafta be jealous, I already told ya that I'm bi if it's ya."

The black woman snorted and rolled her eyes. "How can ya think of these things with what's goin' on?"

"It's due ta that!" Lucky raised her voice as if she had all the reason in the world. "I can't walk around the cities and go ta parties, meet pretty blokes... I'm in a dry spell!"

"If Generalíssima catches ya tryin' ta seduce him..."

"I don't hafta try." Like a diva, the freckled young woman lifted her chin and used both hands to toss her hair back.

Ignoring that 'sexy' pose, Revenant looked at the counter and saw a small hand on it. She hurried to meet, being surprised by who it was. "Nano?"

The little girl was also surprised. "Ah, is it you, Revenant? I thought it was Madre who stayed here."

"She's busy."

"Nano?!" Lucky almost threw herself on the counter. "Is it really ya? Flesh 'n bone?"

"Hahah..." With her gauntlet, Nano scratched her head, embarrassed. "I knew it was going to cause a commotion."

"It's very rare fawr ya ta show up. I had already separated the tucker fawr yah drone ta fetch," Revenant said, "did somethin' happen?"

"Nothing in particular..." Nano looked at the refectory. "Didn't Invader come to lunch?"

"Not yet." Lucky gave a slight smile. "She must be in the security room."

"Generalíssima had gone ta talk ta her," Revenant added.

"Is Generalíssima with her? So it should take time." A little frustrated, Nano asked, "Can you prepare a dish for me?"

While Revenant worked, Lucky remained curious. "How's that big project goin'? It's almost ready, right?"

"Yeah, almost, but you can't be in a hurry." Nano smiled as the circuits on her forehead flashed. "It's rocket science, you know."

At that time, Maya was finishing to eat the soup. The appearance and smell was not the best, but it was tasty.

"Hey, hey. Look theah."

She paid attention to Alice and followed her eyes to the kitchen counter.

"Dya see that young novice? No uniform."

Maya nodded. "She has a weird glove with cables. I think I've seen this in a TV commercial, it's for virtual reality."

"Whatevah," the blonde said, annoyed, "the fact is that she has no uniform 'nd those two sistahs aren't scoldin' her, they're even smilin'!"

A novice said, "That little girl is Nano."

"Huh? Nano?" Alice frowned. "Are ya tellin' me that she's a sistah?"

The novices at the table were silent.

"Ya guys are kiddin' me. How can an ankle bitah be a sistah?!"

The novice explained, "She has been a membah of the Sistahhood for years."

Maya looked back at the child, who was heading for an empty chair to eat. "B-But she doesn't look ta have even ten years old."

Another novice said, "Theah're rumors that she joined the Sistahhood when she was five."

"Kyuubey does contracts with girls so young?" Maya was appalled.

"I nevah saw magical girls at that age." The novice also looked at Nano. "But she's very special, she was the one who built this place."

"What?" Alice gaped. "Alone?"

The novices at the table started talking at the same time.

"She's a prodigy!" "Washington sent her." "I heard that she's Canadian." "Only Generalíssima is more important than her."

So they fell silent.

An older novice decided to say, "It's hard ta see her heah, she's very busy. I dunno what she's doin', but I ovahheard a conversation between Generalíssima 'nd anothah sistah and I'm aware that she's in need of many seeds."

"Hmmm..." Alice turned in her chair to get a better look at the child, the person who had built that place, that prison. "So it's her..."

Revenant announced, "Novices! Yah lunch time is runnin' out, finish eatin' 'n brin' the tray. Get ready ta meet Madre."

They obeyed, remaining only Nano and Inquisitor at the tables.

Entering the tunnel with the other novices, Maya and Alice saw someone very peculiar coming. Many novices were looking at the masked person with tubes, who was wearing a heavy brown leather coat and blue hood.

Maya ended up exchanging glances with that person or, rather, she was seen by that person, because Maya could not see what was behind the mask's pair of visors.

The person left in they wake a pleasant fragrance, but it overwhelmed the nostrils.

[ _This place is a freak show._ ]

Hearing Alice in her mind, Maya commented, [ _She must be a busy sister like Nano._ ]

Revenant was still behind the kitchen counter when she saw who had arrived. "Ya came early today. We've soup."

Matryoshka stopped in front of her. "This is wonderful, уголь."

Any sign of cordiality in Revenant was gone. "Ya can stop it."

"With what, уголь?"

"Stop talkin' stuff I don't understand. Fawr me, ya're cursin' me."

Matryoshka was silent, but only for a moment. "Извините."

"I told ya ta stop!"

"Ладно."

Revenant gritted her teeth. "If I rip those tubes off yah face, will ya die?"

"Chill, Revah!" Lucky intervened. "She's just playin' a little bit with ya."

Matryoshka nodded. "You're always very reasonable, крольчи́ха."

"See?" Lucky spoke to Revenant. "She called me krasomethin', it means rabbit."

"And уголь is related to diamonds." Matryoshka returned her attention to the black woman. "You're a tough woman, aren't you?"

"I dunno what ya mean by that." Revenant was still tense. "But I just wanna ya speak my language, 'n ONLY my language."

"No problem." Matryoshka took her hands out of her pockets and started to activate some switches under her clothes. "I shouldn't take up more of your time, show me the soup."

Revenant opened the pot.

The masked person extended one of her arms. Under her wrist, a transparent tube started to move like a tentacle, reaching and entering the soup.

For Lucky, that was always amazing.

Matryoshka opened a handle and the tube started to suck the food. "I can already smell it, it's liver, isn't it?"

"Try not ta suck it all," Revenant said, "theah're people who haven't eaten yet."

After closing the handle, Matryoshka retracted her tube. The tube emitted a flash of green light and it was suddenly clean. She activated other switches and used another handle, with the soup now appearing in one of the tubes that went towards her mask.

Seeing her taste the food, Lucky asked, "Whatcha think?"

"This is pea soup, yes? I didn't feel it was at the beginning, because it's too salty for my taste, maybe it's the meat..." Matryoshka looked at whoever was in the refectory.

Nano was eating fast, but she noticed and smiled.

While Inquisitor was already looking at her, sitting with his arms crossed and his plate empty. He was no longer there because of the food.

"The meat? I salted a bit," Lucky commented, "next time I'll get it right!"

"Yes, yes, you will." Still exchanging glances with him, Matryoshka left the place.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"...And he shouted at the top of his voice, 'What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.'

For he had said to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!'

Then Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'

He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.

Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding;

and the unclean spirits begged him, 'Send us into the swine; let us enter them.'

So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea..."

The novices had formed a semicircle with their chairs to hear the Gospel.

After finishing the chapter, Madre closed the Bible slowly. "This is the word of the Lord."

"Thanks be to God!"

Madre rose from her chair to store the Bible and then stay inside the semicircle. "The most experienced novices know why to arrange the chairs in the room in this way. Today's the day of the confession cycle. Usually, I prepare a new novice for a period, to get more comfortable with the idea before startin', as the process can be very tough. Unfortunately, we have too many who arrived recently, so I'll use one of you to show how it's in practice." She looked and nodded to a novice. "Maya, please."

Alice frowned.

Evie almost could not hide her smile.

The dark-skinned girl's eyes widened. "But... I'm a new novice."

"Yes, I think you got it wrong," the red-haired woman said, "an experienced novice can make this seem easier than it is. Come on."

Maya got up from her chair and saw the woman kneel.

"Please, kneel in front of me." Madre put her hand on the floor to show the position.

Maya exchanged looks with Alice. Her friend was suspicious, but it did not seem to be dangerous. She went and knelt before the woman.

Madre smiled.

That serene countenance removed some of the anxiety that Maya had, however, the girl looked around, at everyone who was looking at her now.

"It's not comfortable."

"Huh?" Maya returned her attention to the woman.

"Being like this, exposed," Madre continued, "we seek hidin' places to conceal our shames from others. In doing so, we fall into an incongruity, as we're fearin' more people than our Lord, who will always know what you do and think."

"Oh..." Maya nodded slightly, more concerned than before.

"So..." Madre opened her arms, looking at the others in the room. "Tell us, Maya, about your shames. Reveal everythin' you fear to reveal."

Maya lowered her head, no longer having the courage to look at her face. It was a confession, it had been mentioned, what was she expecting? However, what Maya understood by confession was to go and speak to the priest in a private place, not like that.

"Now you understand how difficult this is," Madre spoke to the new novices and then spoke to the girl in front of her, "Maya, don't worry, your reaction is completely normal. I'll tell you that when you confess, you'll start to feel bettah, and subsequent confessions will be easier. Remember, God already knows and it's He who will judge you in the end."

"Okay..."

Seeing the girl on her knees lift her head, Evie leaned over to hear better what she had to say.

With a nervous smile, Maya started, "Erm... I... I..." She took a deep breath and said at once, "There was a time when I had ta finish my homework, but that night theah would be the final episode of a TV series that I was watchin'. It was a special and longah episode, so I knew I was goin' ta have no time. When my mom asked me about the homework, I said that I had done it and showed some pages that I had started ta do at school ta convince her, but it wasn't-"

"No..." Madre interrupted, shaking her head and smiling.

"No?" Maya was confused.

"No, these're trivialities. I want you to expose the secrets that define your being." The woman took the girl's left hand, touching the ring. "Somethin' that shaped your personality and the magical girl that you are."

Maya opened her eyes wide and pressed her lips together.

"Okay, I'll confess to you, so maybe we can make a deal." Madre stroked the girl's hand. "I became a magical girl for vengeance."

Until that moment, Alice had not felt the urge to leave the chair like now.

"Vengeance?" Maya started to notice that her hand was being held tightly.

"And I used God for that."

Aware of her own breathing, Maya questioned. "What does that mean?"

"It's not somethin' to understand, just abhor." Madre's eyes were cold as metal. "I took His place and poured out the chalice of wrath without considering the consequences. Howevah, at that time I thought it was fair and necessary. Today I know I made a terrible mistake, and the path to redemption is long, but I'm still tempted to doubt that conviction. I'm a vindictive person, anger whispers inside me. Can you imagine what would happen if my witch got loose?"

Maya frowned. "Yah witch?"

"Don't you ask yourself now why good-natured girls become witches who destroy and kill? They're the manifestation of everything that we keep within us, of our shames, thinkin' that this way we'll be safe, but in fact we're holding a greater despair for later on." Madre released the girl's hand and brought her hands to her own chest. "The fight against witches must start here. We must stop bein' afraid and make peace with the Lord. If we're at peace with ourselves, we'll minimize the threat that our witches pose when our day comes." She looked at the other novices. "As I said, I don't expect it to be easy, but it has to be done."

Evie nodded and lowered her head.

Even Alice at least lowered her gaze.

Smiling again, Madre spoke to the novice in front of her, "Now it's up to you."

Maya tried to return the smile, but her heartbeat was so fast that her only countenance was one of nervousness. "Well… there's somethin' I hate about myself. I'm not good at anythin', and I'm not talkin' about havin' any talent, I'm a disastah."

Madre nodded in silence.

The girl understood that it was a sign that she should continue, "And... And... That's why I didn't have many friends."

Evie smiled slightly.

"For othah people, everythin' seems ta be so quick and easy. When I'm gonna do the same thin', I'm so slow, I wondah how I'm gonna end up screwin' it," the words started to come into her mind and Maya released them, "people leave me behind, not 'cause of any resentment or betrayal, I just can't keep up with them. My existence is a sum of inconveniences for othahs. I hate that."

"Good," Madre said, "you were much bettah. How do you feel now?"

Maya was surprised, and relieved, she showed a genuine smile. "After I started speakin', everythin' just got easiah."

"That's right," with complete serenity, Madre said, "now about your punishment..."

Maya's smile faded. "Huh...?"

Alice's eyes widened.

"Don't see this as a judgement, but as a warning." The red-haired woman with gray eyes stated, "You're taken by envy."

Maya looked at other novices, who continued to pay attention. "Envy?"

"It's a cowardly sin. It's normal to have bettah people than us, just as it's normal for us to be improvin'. In your case, you remain in that inferior position in relation to others to continue to regret. There is pride too."

Turning to look at the woman, Maya grimaced. "Me? Proud of myself?"

Madre shook her head. "Not from you, you said you hate, but of your position. You feel entitled to receive pity, you expect others to do things for you, as you strive to show how inept you are. You feel comfortable receivin' help from someone who is better than you, makes you feel in control. This is pathetic."

Maya was flabbergasted.

Madre placed both hands on the girl's shoulder. "It's a warning, not a judgment. This self-punishment will help you and people will stop leavin' you behind. Did you understand?"

"A-Am I gonna hafta do this?"

"I'll teach you, it's very simple." After Madre brought her hands to her, she commented, "You must not be used to kneeling. Do you feel any discomfort and pain?"

Still processing all that, Maya replied in a meek voice, "At first yes, then I didn't feel nothing at all."

"It's because you blocked the pain with magic. We instinctively avoid it, but it's not our enemy." The woman showed the ring in her hand. "Just as you can block it, you can also amplify it. Focus on your gem and stop using magic, let yourself feel the pain."

Maya nodded and closed her eyes, thinking of her gem. She wished not to use any magic. Suddenly, her knees seemed to be burning and her spine was about to snap. "Owww..."

Meanwhile, Evie glanced at Alice, seeing the blonde tense in the chair.

Recognizing the face of pain as legitimate, Madre said, "Great, now focus on the pain and amplify it."

Maya opened her eyes. "Isn't that enough?!"

"No, it has to be somethin' unbearable."

[ _Maya! Don't do it!_ ]

She heard Alice's voice and looked at her friend.

Madre's tone became more imperative, "Do it, at once!"

Alice shook her head slightly.

Before she could think about it, Maya noticed that Madre had turned her head to look in the same direction. She gritted her teeth and wished for the worst possible pain. "uuuuEEHHHAAAAHHHH!" Her body and mind could not take it and she fell into Madre's arms.

The woman hugged her. "It's ovah, it's ovah already..."

Alice ran a hand over her head, almost pulling her hair out.

Her eyes were watery and her heart was racing, but Maya was no longer in pain.

"You blocked it again, didn't you?" Madre helped her to compose herself.

Maya ran her hands over her eyes to dry her tears and nodded, in an almost imperceptible movement.

"You did well, this is not meant to be a torture. I'm happy with your courage, you shouldn't belittle yourself," Madre then instructed, "now, when you have these bad thoughts, take a moment in your day to reflect and do what I just taught you. You just don't have to scream, you're not the victim here."

"I don't know if I can do it..."

"Then I'll give you that." Madre took her red rosary and placed it in the girl's palm.

Maya looked at her in surprise.

"It'll help you remembah that moment, stay with it until you don't need it anymore." The woman put her hands together on her chest. "I'll pray for that to happen."

Maya handled the rosary, which appeared to be very old with its rustic appearance. Her fingers felt the details of the cross with a sun behind it.

Madre spoke to the other novices, "Now that you have witnessed what it's like, who will be next?"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In the dormitory, novices lay in their respective beds to sleep.

Under the watchful eye of Revenant. "I'll be waking ya all up in eight hours, I don't wanna see anyone wanderin' through the tunnels before that." She turned off the lights and left.

With eyes not yet used to the darkness and hearing some distant whispers, Maya did not feel like sleeping. Her mind or soul, she was not sure, still remembered the pain from that warning.

[ _I still think you shouldn't have done that._ ]

Maya heard Alice, again with that subject, but that distraction was welcome. [ _Today there wasn't time for everyone to participate in the confession cycle, but next time you should be the first to volunteer. It must be easier for you than for me, and it'll help us not to become witches._ ]

[ _I don't believe it anymore._ ]

[ _What do you mean?_ ]

Alice's voice became harsher. [ _Can't you see? The Sisterhood is a cult! Magical girls turn into witches, Kyuubey is actually called Incubator and it is an alien, and now witches are turning into magical girls again. All that remains is to say Jesus is coming and we must kill ourselves to join Him._ ]

[But don't have a truth behind this?] Maya waited for an answer from her friend, but the silence lasted. [ _Alice?_ ]

[ _It's my fault._ ]

"Huh?!" Maya put her hand on her mouth. [ _What are you talking about now?_ ]

[ _It was a mistake to accept their offer of protection. Now we're here and I see you in pain, with no idea how to help without making it worse. I should have thought of my family, of your family._ ]

[ _We had no way of knowing that we would end up here._ ] Maya tried to divert the matter. [ _How is your father's logging company doing?_ ]

[ _It must be going well, I wished for it._ ] Alice's voice became calmer, but sad. [ _Even if my dad isn't working, looking for me._ ]

[ _Look, what happened, happened. Let's think about our families to be strong. I don't mind suffering a bit, we have to keep ourselves alive._ ]

[ _We'll get out of this together, Maya._ ]

Alice's strong statement made Maya press her lips and her body stiffen. [ _Yes, I know you'll protect me._ ]

[ _Of course, I'm your best friend._ ]

[ _I'm going to sleep now, ok? Good night._ ]

[ _Good night._ ]

Maya waited without moving a muscle, listening to Alice moving on the bed to sleep. When the silence came and it persisted, she relaxed in relief, but with the guilt for feeling it. She turned over slowly on the bed and put her hand under her pillow.

Her fingers touched a piece of paper.

She removed her hand and took a deep breath. Her mind knew, her soul knew, her heart knew.

The pain would be infinite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Anathema


	5. Anathema

"UUUUHUUUULLL!"

The pickup starts and accelerates, honking its horn. I am so drunk that I hold on to Jonas, but he is also drunk and we fall on the cargo bed floor.

With everything shaking, Jonas asks, "Didya get hurt?"

"Nah, I didn't feel anythin'," I reply, which was quite true, as I was too dizzy to think about pain. I see him rising with difficulty to reach the window at the back of the vehicle's cab.

He knocks on the window and says, "Mate, ya almost killed us! Fack!"

The music in the cab is loud, I do not hear the driver's response or he does not respond.

Jonas lies down beside me again. "Noah shoulda failed his drivah's license test."

"Ya say that about yah friend, but we'ah the ones in the back of the truck," I say. I may be drunk, but I am not stupid.

He smiles, knowing I was right. "He got this chick at the party and decided ta give her a ride, what can we do, huh? That'll change when I buy my cah. What didya think of the party?"

"I nevah drank so much." It was the only interesting thing I could remember.

"Yeah, free drinks for everyone. The host must be full of money..."

Jonas is always talking about money and riches. That is a difference between him and me in our relationship. At that moment, I just wanted to enjoy the crazy trip of alcohol mixed with the stars and the streetlights passing quickly.

Suddenly the vehicle makes a sharp turn. My body hits the cargo bed's short wall and Jonas almost rolls over me.

"Damnit!" he exclaims, "did he get off the road? What's he fackin' doin'?"

It was true what Jonas said. Everything is darker, the streetlights were gone. The terrain is rugged and I can hear the bushes hitting against the vehicle's bodywork.

It does not take long and the truck stops. Jonas soon gets up to complain. I try to get up too, but my head hurts a lot.

The cab's window opens, it was one of those that works with remote control. The music's volume is turned down and I can hear Noah, "Heeey... Are ya guys comfortable?"

Jonas speaks, but, differently than I expect, without anger, "Didya lose control? Are ya too drunk?"

Noah replies, "The night isn't ovah yet, mate."

I hear the woman, but I can not make out what she says. However, I understood everything when Jonas says, "Are ya gonna do it heah? Now?!"

I hear laughter coming from the cab and Noah says, "I let the kids sleep on the back of my truck. No worries."

"Fack ya!"

I see the window close and Jonas lying next to me, half smiling. I ask just to be sure, "Are they gonna root?"

"The chick was already doin' a strip theah."

"Gosh!" I hold a giggle.

We spent some time watching only the stars, while listening to certain sounds coming from the cab.

Jonas comments, "Ah, this is gettin' weird. What if they start screamin'?"

I do not say anything, I have no idea what to do. Going home on foot was not an option, we were in the middle of nowhere and I was in no condition to get up.

"What if we do it too?"

Jonas decides to be very creative. I look him in the eye to see if he is being serious. At least he seems to be more sober than me.

"I brought condom."

"I'm really drunk," I reply, my voice is slurred, "I wish our first time was more romantic..."

"Okay." He turns to get closer to me. "But let's enjoy it a bit... So we can get distracted."

Jonas is so cute with his pleading face. I end up giving in, saying, "Okay, but just a bit," and making a sulky face just in case.

He smiles and puts his arm over me. Our lips meet. It starts off slow, but soon his tongue is entering my mouth, mine is too numb to enjoy it. I touch his body with my hands, but without doing anything exaggerated to not give the go-ahead signal and he go too far.

However, Jonas pulls my shirt off, my stomach feels the cold air. Remembering the other times we did it, it makes me horny. His hand is warm and it slides over my skin, reaching for my hip and squeezing it. It feels good.

Jonas whispers, "God, I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

I do not know if it was for me to hear or he let his thoughts slip, but I wanted to be part of that happiness. He pulls the shirt more and I give a little help, arching my back, until he reaches my bra. I hold his hand tightly to make it clear that I do not want to remove anything. He understands and his hand starts to feel my ribs, then returns to my soft belly, where I want. Between our kisses, we smile at each other.

His hand is now impatient, his movements less inhibited. He plays around my navel and slides on my happiness trail with his fingertips. I have goosebumps. He finds a gap in the elastic of my skirt so he can go underneath, but he was unable do the same with my panties, pushing it.

"Watch yah silly hand," I end up saying.

He grins. "Sorry..."

His hand goes elsewhere, while I wonder what would happen if he had insisted. A frustration starts to hit me, a desire to be able to go back in time. I feel more sober, I notice the stars above us again. He has a condom, it was just a matter of continuing and letting it happen. The idea makes my heart race, would that be the unforgettable moment I was looking for?

I hear loud voices coming from the cab, they do not seem to be erotic. There is a slap and the door opens. I can clearly hear the woman say, "Fuck yah arse, bastard!" and her hurried steps away from the vehicle. Are her feet bare?

"What's happenin'?" Jonas asks as he looks up.

I do not say anything, because I wanted to pay attention. I hear Noah leave the vehicle, speaking in a reconciling tone, "Ah, I wasn't gonna do anythin'..."

Jonas gets up, with some difficulty, I see that he is staggering. I try to get up too, but I feel dizziness and headache again, and I feel cold too... Of course, because my shirt is still up, I fix it.

Jonas raises his arms and yells, "UUUUUHUUUUULLL! What a sexy arse, Noah. No homo, okay? What's happenin'?"

I keep imagining his friend's arse and whisper, "Is she naked too?"

Jonas looks at me and puts his hands on his own chest. I read his lips and understand that she is holding clothes like towels to cover herself. At the very least she is half-naked.

It is the woman who starts to say, "Yah friend wanna have sex without condom and I don't."

"Wha?!" Noah quickly retorts, "I told ya I won't do this."

"Yeah, but when I ask about the condom, ya say ya're gonna get it, but ya keep forgettin'. Then ya put yah body on me ta not let me escape and start forcin' yah cock in!"

"Ya're hysteric! I went ta hug ya ta kiss, if my cock touched, it's natural."

"Uh-huh... This is what ya want, ta be 'natural'."

Jonas interrupted the discussion. "Didya brin' condom, mate?"

I can hear a long sigh and then Noah says, "The thin' is, I remembered that I left them in my othah wallet at home."

The woman says, "Whata piece of crap..."

It looks like the fight will start again. "I sweah! I wasn't gonna penetrate without a condom! I would wanna end with masturbation or oral sex. I was still thinkin'."

"With yah small head."

Jonas proposes, "I have condom with me, I won't use it."

While I heard the woman says he do not need to, Jonas lowers his head to search in his pockets. In that I notice that his body was hanging forward. It is all too fast. He loses his balance and tries to hold on to the cargo bed's wall, but his hand reaches for nothing. He falls out of the vehicle and I only hear the impact on the ground. "Jonas?!"

Noah says, "W-Whoa! Ya're fahkin' drunk, mate."

I wait, wait for an answer from Jonas.

But it is Noah who is speaking again, "Jonas? Hey!"

My heart sinks and I decide to get up at once. It feels terrible, my head still seems to be on the floor and the world spins along with my guts.

The woman comments, "Look at his leg! It's stiff!"

Noah replies, now with a slight tone of despair, "He fell on his head!"

The world does not stop, my mouth and tongue are suddenly dry. I need to see him.

"He's not breathin'!"

I lean on the bed's wall and I want to scream for his name, but my body takes control of me and a hot torrent violently escapes my mouth.

"Oh my God!"

His neck. My vomit on him. I will never forget.

* * *

**Anathema**

Lucky hopped through the tunnel, beyond the sisters' rooms and the bathroom, following the yellow stripe on the wall. She already had a smile on her face, as she already expected who she would find.

The strip led to yet another metal door like so many others at the base, but that room was special. When Lucky opened the door, the smell of sweat assaulted her nostrils.

The gym was, so to speak, compact, but it was no excuse for not finding what to do. Generalíssima was striking a punching bag, her precise kick made a strong impact sound, while Revenant was doing squats with barbell with weights.

Lucky jumped into the room and spread her arms. "G'daayyy!"

Continuing her exercise, Revenant did not look at her. "G'day."

Generalíssima held the punching bag to greet, "Hello Lucky, what are you looking for?"

"I just haven't seen ya two today yet, ya've been heah for a while." Lucky approached Revenant.

The black woman was sweating and heaving. She looked at the bunny girl, expressing weirdness.

Following the movement of the squats, Lucky lowered and raised her head.

Until Revenant stopped, standing with the barbell on her back. "What's it...?"

"How much weight didya put theah?"

"250 pounds."

Lucky raised her eyebrows. "No way, ya must be usin' magic."

"Do I look like... I'm usin' it?!" Already annoyed, Revenant continued, "If I had, the trainin' would be useless."

Revenant was wearing a top and Lucky looked more closely at her muscular abdomen, nudging one of the buds. "God, this is a rock."

Revenant contracted her belly. "D-Drongo! Stop it!"

Surprised by the reaction, Lucky smiled. "Awww... Ya have a sensitive tummy, how kywte."

In a quick movement, Revenant raised the barbell, passed it over her head and bent down to leave it on the floor.

"Ya used magic now, I felt it," Lucky said, squinting.

With clenched fists and an intense countenance, Revenant asked, "Wata ya doin' heah?"

"You should train."

They both looked at Generalíssima.

The dark pink-haired woman was looking specifically at Lucky. "Magic multiplies the strength that your body can exert, so if you got a few muscles, it would make a big difference."

Revenant agreed, "And it's not difficult. With the regeneration of bein' a magical girl, the gains are fast."

Lucky swayed her hips. "I like my slendah 'n soft body. Besides, ya two are melee fightahs." She stroked her holsters. "In my case, theah is no muscle ta defeat my bullets." Then she looked back at Revenant. "Or is theah?"

The black woman crossed her arms. "Dya have nothin' ta do, huh?"

"Me? Not that I remembah..." Lucky pulled one of her rabbit ears. "Or should I?"

Generalíssima said, "That's why I asked what you were looking for here."

"Same thin'." Revenant nodded.

"Ah... haha..." Lucky looked away, scratching her cheek slightly. "Is it today?"

"It's now!" Revenant gritted her teeth. "They're waitin' fawr ya."

"So, unfortunately, I can't be with ya anymore. Hehehe." Waving with both hands, Lucky backed up to the door. "Cya!"

With the door closing, Revenant still managed to catch a glimpse of Lucky hopping through the tunnel. "She can be strong, but fawr a sistah she should be more mature. Even more now."

"I like her that way."

With a frown, Revenant looked at Generalíssima.

"Even more now. She's irresponsible, makes jokes, laughs..." The woman was in a fighting stance in front of the punching bag. "She makes it look like the situation isn't so difficult, it helps to keep novices' morale high."

"So should I be more like her?" Revenant asked.

"You wouldn't be able to even if you tried." Generalíssima buried her firm fist in the punching bag in a well-placed punch.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

A little distant from the other novices, Maya and Alice were examining the new room. It was on the same floor as the exit ramp and Madre had left them there, asking them to wait. The walls and floor were covered with gunshots and cuts, as well as suspicious stains. In some parts it was possible to notice that the concrete was recent, indicating that there was a crater before.

"It's obvious that the magical girls fight each othah heah," Alice commented.

"Ah, I don't wanna do this." Maya looked at the tunnel, the only entrance and exit. "Is Revenant who will arrive?"

"It must be her." Alice looked at Evie, who was resting with her back against a wall. "What I really wanted was for this ta be with Generalíssima. What's in her for everyone ta say that she's so strong.

Lucky came running out of the tunnel. "G'day! G'day! G'daaaaAAAAYYYYY!"

Much to Alice's chagrin. "Oh no, the crazy one. Did she come ta watch?"

Maya just smiled shily.

"Sorry for the delay, it was the traffic." Lucky jumped up and punched the air. "Ya must be supah excited about our magic class!"

Maya blinked. "So... it's her."

"It must be a stupid joke from her." Alice was already looking at something else. "Magic class? I already know how ta use mine, how will she teach somethin' if her magic is completely different?"

Lucky scratched the back of her neck. "Well, what're we gonna do... Ah!" She took out one of the revolvers. "Check out what I've been developin'!" She brought the gun close to her mouth, whispering in the pair of rabbit ears the revolver had.

**Bullet: Water**

**Rate: Flow**

**Mode: Construct**

**Special Property: Let's Get Medieval!**

It ears fluttered, as if confirming the order, so she aimed the gun at the novices in the room. They promptly leaved the line of fire.

Maya and Alice were far enough that they didn't have to do this. However, Maya was scared. "My God..."

Lucky pulled the trigger and a continuous stream of water came out of the muzzle of the revolver while the cylinder kept spinning. The jet was not strong enough to reach the novices, forming a growing puddle on the floor.

"I knew it." Alice exhaled, relieved, but not happy. "Only a stupid joke..."

The puddle stopped expanding, instead the water started to rise and acquire a shape with four legs, to the amazement of many novices.

Maya and Alice were at a loss for words.

Evie was also silent, but just because she was resting.

In the end, there was a water statue of a knight in armor with a spear and shield.

Lucky released the trigger. The revolver cylinder stopped spinning along with the jet of water. "Let's have fun!"

Immediately, the statue started to move. The horse snorted, forming a cloud of moisture. The rider reared its mount before charging at full speed, aiming its spear at a group of novices.

"AAAAHHH!" The girls ran, some threw themselves on the floor.

The knight hit the wall violently and burst. The resulting wave of water swept the novices' legs, knocking them over and wetting them.

"KAAAAHKAKAH!" Lucky laughed so hard that she came to tears.

The novices were still getting up when they realized that the water was moving again, even their bodies and uniforms were getting dry. The water concentrated at one point, reforming itself as the rider.

"Ready for the second round?" Lucky spun the gun around her finger. "I wanna see who defeats my playthin'."

A novice took the initiative. After transforming, she spun three small metal hula hoops on her arm and launched them. The hula hoops hit the rider and they remained floating inside its body.

"Well..." Lucky shrugged. "Nice try."

If the attack was ineffective, it still made the knight charge at the attacker.

Another novice, a magical girl in light armor and armed with a large thorn ball and chain, positioned herself in the knight's path. At the last moment, she dodged the spear and used the chain to spin her ball.

The rider stopped to turn.

The magical girl spun the ball faster and faster, making it hum, and extending the chain further until it started to hit its target. First it was the horse's head, making water splash against the wall and on some novices. Moving her body and arm gracefully, the girl controlled her circle of death to destroy part by part, including beheading the knight.

Despite that, it trotted towards her.

Confident, the girl prepared to dodge, but noticed too late that the knight's spear had become a mace.

In a straight hit, it struck her in the face, knocking her out. The ball of thorns went flying, until it hit a wall, making a hole.

For the amusement of Lucky. "Ops, Nano's gonna hafta fix this."

The knight regenerated its form, already looking for the next challenger.

A novice aimed her scepter, shooting red sparks continuously.

Being hit, the waters bubbled and the rider began to evaporate. However that did not stop it, its horse neighed, releasing a jet of water.

The water hit the novice with scepter, burning her skin. "Ai, ai, AIE!"

"That wasn't very smahrt," Lucky commented, even expressing concern, "It's more dangerous than it was."

"Move away!" A girl armed with a large vacuum cleaner approached the knight and began to suck it. It was so potent that the knight did not have time to react before all the water stopped in the tank on her back.

The other novices celebrated. "She did it!"

"That's how it's done." Soon after saying this sentence, the girl felt her vacuum cleaner tremble. "Huh? Ah!" The hose that connected the vacuum cleaner to the tank burst and the water gushed out at high pressure, returning to its original shape.

Seeing other magical girls joining in the fight against the knight, Alice no longer hid her feelings. "This is so stupid."

Maya spoke in a low tone, "It looks like they're having fun..."

"Stupid." Alice shook her head. "This retard is makin' me miss Revenant."

Watching the girls' struggle to defeat the knight, Evie sighed and brought her open left hand close to her chest. From the gem in the ring, a tiny purple dart appeared. After aiming, she let it fly.

The dart reached and penetrated the rider. The waters took on a slight purple hue for a moment and the rider stopped, returning to being like a statue. Without any warning, the waters collapsed, forming a flood that again knocked out some girls.

Lucky raised her eyebrows, looking at Evie.

"What's it? Wasn't it supposed ta break yah playthin'?" The girl with purple and reddish hair left the wall. "C'mon Lucky, stahrt the class at once."

"Nicely done, Evie." The bunny girl smiled again at the other novices. "That was the warm-up. Befawah stahrtin' today's lesson, I wanna know moah about the new girls we have around heah." She looked at a specific pair of girls, pointing with an open hand. "You."

Maya felt that the sister was looking directly at her. "What? Me?"

"Yeah, kywte." Lucky gave a wink. "Come, it'll be fun."

"Ahhh..." Maya lowered her head. "Why me again?"

A little confused, Lucky replied, "Cause ya didn't participate in our game heah. No worries, aftah it'll be yah friend's turn."

Alice took a step forward. "I go first."

"My, my, ya just made me more curious." Lucky nodded. "Now ya're gonna hafta wait."

"No..." Alice felt her hand being held and looked at Maya.

The dark-skinned girl looked right into the blonde's eyes. [ _Upsetting the others will not help us survive._ ]

Alice turned away and closed her eyes.

"I think it's settled," Lucky said, "come."

Maya left her friend and approached the group of novices, but still keeping a cautious distance from that eccentric sister.

She asked, "What's yah name?"

"Maya."

She opened her eyes wide, smiling. "Really?!"

Maya did not react, not knowing what that sister's expression meant.

"'Maya' can be translated as 'illusion' or 'magic'. In an Indian language, if I remembah correctly..." Lucky pointed at the novice. "It suits ya, it's a beautiful name."

"Thanks..."

"Now I want ya ta transform."

"Sure." Maya opened her left hand and her ring became her pale blue soul gem for a brief moment, before her body was surrounded by a light of the same color. When the light dissipated, she had a large transparent blue visor on her face. She was wearing a dress, a single piece, dark blue, with wide silver stripes that converged on her belly, forming a stylized figure that resembled an eye or a spider. In the center of the drawing of the figure there was a hole, leaving the navel exposed. The skirt of the dress was long and divided into four equal parts, allowing the visualization of her bare legs. Her shoes were a pair of gray clogs and on the strip of the right clog was her gem in the shape of a square.

"Weapons, please."

At the sister's request, she conjured a pair of exotic blades, one in each hand.

"Hook swords? I love hook swords!" Lucky jumped with excitement. "So ya fight up close, I honestly didn't imagine ya're like that."

Maya looked away. "Yeah, I kinda fight up close."

Lucky became more curious. "What dya mean by that? Dya throw yah hook swords?"

"No."

"What's yah magic then?"

Maya made a face. "It's hard ta explain..."

Lucky opened her arms. "Show it, c'mon."

She shook her head. "It's dangerous."

"Even bettah!"

Maya continued to shake her head.

"Show them."

Hearing Alice, Maya looked at her friend in surprise.

The blonde insisted, "Show it."

"Yeah!" Lucky too. "I'm heah, it won't be a problem."

"Okay..." Maya positioned herself, crossing her hook swords in front of her legs and closing her eyes. "But don't hesitate ta use force ta stop me." She exhaled and started to move her body and swords, like a dance.

The room was silent, everyone waiting.

Her dance had steps, but she hardly moved of her position. Maya kept her eyes closed as her blades passed close to her face.

Among the novices, some whispers and giggles started.

"What's she doin'?" "Will she just dance?" "She must be messin' with Lucky." "Poor thin', she must have become a magical girl recently." "Is that why she doesn't like ta fight?"

Evie remained silent, watching the dancer, looking more serious than listless.

Alice smiled and murmured to herself, "Yeah, show them what ya're capable of."

Although there is no magic yet, Lucky was entertained by the novice's sensual movements and blades. However, she forced her eyesight, as her vision was blurred.

It was not that. Other novices began to notice that Maya's image was blurred, despite her slow movements.

The dancer now seemed to have more arms and legs due to the afterimages that made movements different from the original. In fact, it was already difficult to discern Maya from her specters.

Soon one of the semitransparent images left the position and cut the air nearby with their swords, followed by another image, and another... Taking up more and more space in the room.

No novice was smiling anymore, except Alice.

Lucky was also relaxed yet. "Hmmm, noice."

The hum of dozens of blades slicing through the air became audible and the specters were getting closer. The novices took steps backwards, some already looking at the exit tunnel.

"I see, it works as an attack 'n defense, interestin'..." Lucky nodded and said, "Maya, ya can stop now."

However, the chaotic cloud of images of the girl and her blades continued to expand.

"Maya?"

Some novices carried the expression of fear on their faces, deciding whether to run or fight.

Alice had a big grin.

Evie was preparing a purple dart.

Lucky took a step back, feeling the movement of air caused by the blades that passed too close. "MAYA, YA'LL HURT YAH FRIEND!"

The specters of Maya opened their eyes at the same time and recoiled in an instant, back to where the girl was, standing in the middle of a movement of her dance. She looked at Alice.

"It worked." Lucky sighed in relief, as did many novices.

"Oh... S-Sorry." Maya lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone. "That's why it's dangerous. I need ta concentrate for this ta work, but I end up losin' track of what's goin' on."

"I noticed, it's somethin' that needs ta be improved," Lucky said, "yah magic involves speed, but that would be limited by how fast yah brain can function. In yah case, ya block yah thoughts ta ovahcome this limitation, makin' yah attacks not have a cleahr tahrget, but they still are attacks, many of them."

Maya was surprised by that detailed explanation from the bunny girl, "Does my magic do that?"

"Didn't ya know? No wondah ya can't control it." Lucky put her hands on her hips. "Well, wat else dya have ta show?"

Maya replied, "Nothin' more."

Lucky frowned. "Only that?!"

Alice gritted her teeth when she heard her sister talking like that to her best friend.

Maya again apologized, "I'm sorry for not havin' anythin' else ta show..."

Evie rolled her eyes.

"The biggest problem is that yah magic specializes in somethin' so generic. Any magical girl can be supah fast, just use more magic ta improve yah body's performance. It's also possible ta emulate this with a little creativity." Lucky drew her two revolvers. "Let me demonstrate this ta ya in a fight."

"What?" Maya's eyes widened. "Fight? Are ya gonna fight me?"

"That's right." Lucky presented her furry revolvers. "These're Maggie & Daisy!"

"Are ya gonna shoot me?"

"Yup."

Hearing the confirmation, Alice clenched her left fist.

Maya stammered, "B-But ya're experienced, I don't have a chance."

"Sure ya don't." Smiling, Lucky winked. "Relax, this isn't a serious fight."

"Ah..." Maya nodded sheepishly.

"Just let me do the preparations." Then Lucky whispered to one of her revolvers.

**Bullet: Regeneration**

With the same weapon, she aimed at her own thigh and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot made Maya flinch.

Unlike Lucky, who continued with the same smiling expression, while blood poured from the hole made by the bullet, running down her leg and ruining her sneakers.

Confused, Maya just shook her head.

The freckled woman whispered to her other revolver.

**Bullet: Haste**

And, just as before, she aimed and fired at her own flesh. Blood spattered across the floor.

Alice had frowned, and her mouth was open.

"Let's begin." Lucky spun her revolvers. "Prepare yah best defense!"

"O-Ok..." Maya raised her hook swords, waiting for her opponent's movement.

"HHHIIIII!"

"AAAHHHH!" Maya dropped her weapons when she realized Lucky's face covering her entire field of vision.

"ESKIMO KISSU!"

Before Maya could take a step back, Lucky was already rubbing her nose with hers. Maya closed her eyes, but immediately opened them when she heard a shot and felt an impact on her thigh followed by a deep pain. "AAIIIEEEE!" She fell to the floor and put her hand where it hurt, feeling it was wet with blood.

"Come on..." Lucky stared at the fallen girl, disappointed. "I told ya ta get ready. Why didn't ya block the pain if ya knew I was gonna shoot ya?"

"MOVE AWAY FROM HER!"

Lucky looked at the source of that scream and saw a magical girl with a helmet and chainsaw.

Alice showed that her chainsaw was already active. "I'm goin' ta kill ya, bitch!"

Still lying on the floor, Maya had already blocked the pain, but was still covering her wound with her hand, trying to stop the bleeding. However, she now had another concern. "Alice, NO!"

"Oh, dya wanna fight me ta the death?" Lucky opened a big smile. "That would be noice."

The blonde twisted her left wrist, where her bracelet was, conjuring floating saw discs. "Let's see if it'll be noice when I'm done with-" She felt strong punches to her chest and sounds of gunshots in succession, a terrible pain in her ribs, spreading to her arm and neck like a wave. For a long moment, she saw the smiling Lucky aiming with the revolver, when had she raised her arm? The world spun.

Alice felt the impact of her back against the floor, the concrete ceiling as her only sight. She choked and coughed, tasting blood, reddish splatters landed on her eyes, mixing with the tears.

"AAAALLIIIICCEEEE!"

The cry of her friend, her best friend. Alice blocked all the pain, but was unable to move her body. The mouth was full of blood, flowing out. The ceiling was out of focus.

_Will I die?_

Her friend's cry, now a distant echo, seemed to confirm that. Everything had gone dark. Clinging to thoughts, Alice was gathered forces for a miracle.

_Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. Maya. MayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMayaMaya_

She choked again. This time it was not a cough, she vomited blood, seeing a large puddle forming on the floor. Then she drew air through her mouth, without control, her lungs expanded to the limit and a tingle of relief enveloped her entire being. She began to reason, realizing that she was able to see and move her body. She got up with difficulty and soon saw Lucky, always smiling, and Maya, somehow, standing beside her.

"Hey Alice," Lucky said, "didya enjoy yah death?"

"I'm not dead yet." Alice finally managed to stand and maintain her balance. "But ya'll be..."

Maya calmly demanded, despite the tears on her face, "Stop."

"No!" Alice snapped, "she shot ya!"

"I'm not hurt!" Maya showed her leg, it was bloody, but when she cleaned it with her hand, there was no visible wound. "See?"

Lucky did the same thing with her thigh, saying, "And neithah are ya."

Alice frowned and looked at her blood-soaked uniform. The shirt had holes made by the bullets, but she pressed it with her finger and felt the skin. "What... witchcraft is this?"

"Healing bullets!" Lucky pointed the revolver at her forehead. "A good way ta find out what it feels like, except Madre is gonna force ya ta remove yah brain juices from the walls." She put the gun down. "Ya friend was cryin', thinkin' I was lyin' when I said ya weren't dead. Well, ya're lyin' on the floor for about five minutes, without breathin'."

Speechless, Alice looked at Maya and the other novices, in vain hope that this was a joke.

With an air of disappointment, Evie shook her head.

"Ya're very dumb, Alice. Ya threatened someone ahrmed with supah speed when ya had the element of surprise." Lucky smiled. "But I liked yah saws discs. Can ya make them appeah at any distance?"

Surprised by the sudden interest, the blonde replied with a certain humility, "Yeah... I already made them appeah distant from me, but not always exactly as I want."

"Ya need to train this." Lucky held her own neck. "If ya're smart, ya woulda conjured one heah 'nd beheaded me instantly. Or ya coulda conjured one wheah my gem is, but that wouldn't be smart, 'cause ya could nevah escape Generalíssima and she would turn ya into a twisted meat pudding. Hahahaha!"

Alice and Maya looked at each other, both scared.

Lucky was even more excited. "Can ya make microscopic saws?"

Alice shook her head. "I... I dunno..."

"Imagine if ya can conjure thousands of these little saws inside someone's body?" The rabbit sister's eyes widened. "It would be like grindin' meat from the inside out!"

"Only a sick mind would think that." Alice made a disgusted face.

"I prefah to say that I have an open mind." Lucky nodded. "Ya two hunt togethah, right? Ya're lucky. If ya had ta face a witch in a liquid state, like the knight I brought heah, how would ya do that with yah blades? There's a lot ta work with ya two. With me, ya'll leahrn that versatility is powah." From the corner of her eye, she sensed someone coming through the tunnel.

It was Generalíssima, accompanied by Revenant and Madre.

Some novices promptly began to form a row.

Generalíssima made a gesture with her hand, indicating that they should remain relaxed.

"Oh my, what a surprise." Lucky gave a wink. "Didya come ta leahrn any new tricks from me?"

Seeing all the blood, Madre commented, "These're the new novices..."

Generalíssima nodded. "Are you already 'killing' them, Lucky?"

She shrugged. "The blonde asked for a quick lesson."

"It's good that they leahrn quickly," with a disapproving look, Revenant said after gritting her teeth, "but knowin' ya, ya shouldn't even have a grief seed. The novice could have become a witch!"

Lucky shook her head, smiling. "I did a lot of shootin' ta make sure she was gonna lose consciousness quickly."

"Right..." Generalíssima looked at all the novices in the room, raising her voice. "When I crossed paths with Madre, I had the idea of watching your training, but, since we get into this subject, I will teach the new novices what you are your souls mean." She turned her back to the black woman. "Revenant."

Lucky grimaced, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, ya're gonna do the demonstration."

Alice and Maya were tense again, they were prepared for everything.

As a single movement, Revenant came from behind, holding Generalíssima's face with one hand and pulling it, while using the other hand to punch the back of the neck.

Generalíssima collapsed on the floor, her head in an anatomically impossible position.

Maya did not even wince. The woman was motionless and not breathing, she looked and must be dead, but Maya had already learned that this was just an inconvenience for a magical girl. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that the woman, in her cadaverous countenance, seemed to be looking right into her eyes.

[ _As you may be seeing..._ ]

Terrified, Maya took a step back. "She's talkin'!"

Not only she, but other inexperienced novices were perplexed.

[ _... Revenant broke my spine. I stopped breathing, my heart is also stopping. I am quickly losing my senses.]_

Alice noticed that the woman's gaze was now unfocused, lifeless.

[ _However, I manage to maintain my consciousness, as I am aware that I am the gem that is in the ring on my left hand. This body is just an extension of it. The gem has a sixth sense, one that you all have used without realizing it, I can feel the presence of your sources of magic, your gems, you. Thus, by connecting my soul with yours, I can communicate. We call it telepathy, but it's a crude way of saying it._ ]

The novices looked at each other, some looked at their gems.

[ _Understand that this requires a long time of ... spiritual conditioning to get results. The first step is to overcome the fear of death and the despair that comes from it, but that is the simplest step._ ]

Alice looked at her bloody uniform, Maya's cry for her name haunted her memories. That was the simplest step and she had failed.

[ _It is a matter of time for a magical girl in my situation to become a witch, but it is possible to postpone that. Our gems seek to heal our wounds, but they do not take into account whether they will succeed before they are completely corrupted. I know my spine is broken, but normally we will have no idea of the state of our bodies. That is why I am using my will on the gem so that there is no cure. Unless you have a miraculous capacity for self-healing, your hope should be outside help._ ]

Madre approached and knelt beside Generalíssima's body. Carefully and silently, she put her fallen sister's head in the correct position and rested her hand on her neck.

[ _Another danger occurs when you have been conscious in this situation for a long time. You discover that your soul has a 'hunger' for feelings. Without a body, it is your magic that will provide it. It starts as a dream or a memory, then you forget that you are dead and the real world becomes distant. If your gem is not continually purified, the illusion that seduced your soul is degraded into a barrier, with you as the witch._ ]

Madre smiled slightly and took her hand away.

Generalíssima started to breathe and blinked. Her pallor was gone when she stood up, helping Madre to get up feet as well. "Thank you."

The new novices were impressed by the second resurrection of the day, but still one raised her hand. "And... if they lose their bodies?"

"Huh?" Generalíssima asked, "What do you mean?"

"If the body falls into a lava lake or somethin'..."

"Oh..." The dark pink-haired woman nodded. "It's possible to create a new body if there is a sample of DNA, a hair for example, of course it requires a powerful spell and many seeds."

Maya did not even blink. That woman had replied so promptly... She had a lot of knowledge about magical girls. Madre also seemed to know a lot, but it was not the same thing, she did not exude the same confidence in her words. In her introspection, the girl recognized that, in doubt, Madre had God. That woman, Generalíssima, seemed to have only herself.

Generalíssima continued, "Therefore it's important that you're not reckless. Even if the body of a magical girl is just a tool, IT IS the most precious tool. I like to say that our soul is an eternal child. Without our senses and our experiences to filter reality, only chaos remains."

[ _Attention! All sisters must urgently attend the security room._ ]

"Invadah?" Lucky was surprised.

And the novices were surprised by Lucky's reaction. Evie narrowed her gaze.

Generalíssima exchanged glances with the other sisters and left the room in silence.

Revenant looked at Lucky. "C'mon, drongo!"

"O-Okay! Wait for me."

As the last sister still in the room, Madre instructed, "Girls, I want you to go back to the dormitory now and stay theah. Don't worry about cleanin'." Unusual for those who knew her, she hurriedly left the room, almost running.

"What's it?" Maya felt her chest tighten. "Why so suddenly? Did somethin' happen?"

"No doubt." Alice pressed her lips together, wondering if she should dispose of her magical garments.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The metal door opened and the first person Generalíssima saw in the security room was Inquisitor, he was more unhappy than usual, more nervous too.

Invader spun the chair she was sitting. "I'm glad you came."

Along with Madre and Lucky, Revenant entered the room before the door closed. "Is Washington?"

"No." Invader looked down. "It's better for Inquisitor to explain this."

He crossed his arms. "I'll only say it when all the sisters are here... if this is going to happen."

Clenching her fists, Generalíssima approached the man. "What's happening?"

But everyone was silent when they noticed a gray metallic cloud coming from the ventilation duct. It solidified, taking the form of a little robot girl, her eyes lit up like two crosses of light. Nano's voice came from its speaker placed as a mouth, "Hi guys."

"You were supposed to be here," Inquisitor said, "and not to send your machines."

The robot tilted its head to the side. "I always did that when I'm called."

"We can't see where you are on the security cameras," the man walked towards the robot, with a menacing look, "show up, NOW!"

With her hand on his chest, Generalíssima pushed him, "Hey, hey, hey, calm down! What the hell is happening?"

"Our seeds..." The anger on his face became frustration. "Someone stole our seeds."

Silence took over the room.

Eyes still wide, Generalíssima finally stammered, "How many... How many seeds we still have, Inquisitor?"

The man shook his head and sniffed his nose.

She snapped, "INQUISITOR!"

"All the seeds were in the safe for purification." He covered his face with both hands. "It's empty now..."

Generalíssima again was speechless.

Inquisitor pulled his hair back, looking at the ceiling. "We don't have seeds."

"Ehh..." The robot raised its hand. "I still have three seeds with me here in the silo."

Lucky smiled. "Ah, not so bad then, we can keep recyclin' these three."

"No," Inquisitor said, still tense, "with the spell I use to kill three witches grouped together, I could have killed ten. It's not efficient and I'll not be in the purification room all the time with this thief on the loose. Even more now they know there are three more seeds."

"What?!" Revenant gritted her teeth. "Dya think it was one of us who did this?"

The man frowned. "And you still ask that?"

The robot spoke, "Couldn't it be a novice?"

"They don't have access to the lower floor," Madre stated, "they don't even know that there is a safe."

"This was planned." Inquisitor nodded. "It must have been done by someone who had frequent access to the place. A novice would end up being caught by a sister or by security cameras."

"Who knows?" Lucky shrugged. "We're talkin' about magical girls."

"Enough speculation, let's get this resolved now." Generalíssima approached Invader. "Show the recording of the entrance to the purification room."

Inquisitor said, "Why do you think I was here?"

"Huh?" Generalíssima looked at him.

"Sorry, Generalíssima, but ..." Invader turned in her chair, looking at a screen.

Generalíssima looked in the same direction, seeing that the screen was black. "What...? Hasn't that camera been fixed yet?"

"I fixed it," Nano said through the robot, "it was working. Invader verified this with Inquisitor."

The ballerina in the chair nodded.

"That's right," the man confirmed, "now the camera has broken again."

"So was it the thief?" Madre considered, "if that camera broke previously, it could be that it was already an attempt by that person."

Invader kept looking at the black screen. "It could be a test to check our reaction. As we did not take any severe measures as to what happened, the thief felt safe to act."

Revenant tensed her muscles. "Bastahrd."

Lucky murmured, "Geez, and I didn't even notice..."

"What?" The black woman turned to the bunny girl.

"I didn't even notice..." Lucky smiled, "that ya're talkin' about the camera because of that black screen, hehe..."

Revenant rolled her eyes.

Generalíssima demanded, "Show the last thing that camera recorded."

"I already checked that out. These are images from yesterday." Invader's gem shone and the black screen started showing the entrance to the purification room, it was empty. Suddenly, the image was black and white and, moments later, there was only black.

"Okay, now show the camera image in the main corridor that watch the access to the purification room's entrance. Or did it break too?"

"No, it's still working. However..." Invader pointed to another screen, synchronizing with the images on the previous screen. She rewound the recording. "As you can see, the last person who was at the entrance to the purification room was Inquisitor, long before the camera stopped working."

Revenant furrowed her eyebrows. "Dya mean that the camera broke on its own?"

"The person must have done this from a blind spot," Madre argued.

"And how Inquisitowr didn't see anythin' befawre leavin'? The room is tiny," Revenant retorted.

Lucky commented, "Maybe Nano didn't fix the camera well."

The robot did not have the function of facial expressions, but Nano's voice was more than enough to show how angry she was, "We tested it! I wouldn't make that mistake."

"Ya're not a machine." Lucky smiled. "Or are ya gonna tell me it was a ghost that did it? Is our base haunted now?"

"Enough!" Generalíssima's voice was energetic, "We aren't going to waste time on silly discussions." Then she returned her attention to Inquisitor. "So the last time you saw the seeds was yesterday."

He nodded. "Precisely."

Invader asked, "Every time you checked the safe?"

Generalíssima was confused. "What?"

"I'm checking every time the camera in the main corridor captured someone passing by during the probable time that the theft occurred." Invader's gem shone brightly as she watched some screens. "After the camera showing the safe broke, Inquisitor visited the room four times. Well, the last time he leaved running, coming here."

Revenant narrowed her gaze. "Can ya see if he was carryin' seeds the othah times he left?"

The Asian girl shook her head. "I don't see anything in his hands."

Inquisitor opened his eyes wide and frowned. "What are you implying?"

Revenant said coldly, "That ya could hide the seeds undah yah clothes."

He gritted his teeth and snapped, "IF I STOLE THE SEEDS, WHY WOULD I BE HERE WARNING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Is this a simulation?" Generalíssima looked him right in the eye. "Is it something that you're going to put on your 'checklist' that you're going to send to Washington?"

"Don't be fool!" Inquisitor punched the air. "I would never do anything like that."

With her patience exhausted, Generalíssima pointed to the screens showing him. "Then what the fuck is this?"

The man calmed down. "You must know the details of the story about the first time this camera broke. Nano and Invader considered that I had damaged it with my magic, but I told them that it could be that a witch barrier had leaked out of the purification room during the process. After the camera was repaired, the possibility came to me that the barrier could have leaked from the safe itself, from a seed that had not been properly purified. So I made a few visits to check if there was any reaction from the seeds."

"Is that all?" Generalíssima was still staring at him.

"Yes, that's all."

"Wow..." Lucky put her hands behind her head and stretched. "From ghost ta witch. Now I can believe it."

Madre stated, "It's true that a barriah would cause the camera to malfunction, but Inquisitor would have felt it already."

"Generalíssima."

"WHAT?" When answering Invader, she realized that she had raised her voice too much. "Sorry..."

Invader shook her head. "I should be sorry, because I'm sure about someone who passed that corridor at that time..."

Generalíssima looked at the screens. The recording showed a ballerina walking. "You?"

"This is before the camera in the purification room stop working," Invader explained, "I went to visit Nano in the silo."

The robot nodded. "Yeah, she stayed with me for a few hours. She helped me to solve a problem with the navigation algorithm of my drones, it was very productive."

"Hours?" Generalíssima asked, "And who was in the security room?"

Invader made a nod with her head towards another screen. It showed the images inside the security room and everyone saw a bunny girl sitting in a chair, eyes closed and mouth open, drooling. Then everyone looked at the same person who was present.

"Ah, busted! Hihihiii..." Lucky had an embarrassed smile. "I was payin' a debt that I had with Invadah, but this chair is very comfortable. Well, look on the bright side, it couldn't have been me."

"Whata fuck up, drongo!" Revenant pulled one of the rabbit ears.

"Ow! Ow! Don't rip it off!"

Inquisitor asked Invader, "Did you tell anyone about you leaving the post in advance?"

"No."

"Then the thief must have seen you leave this room." He pointed to the screens. "Can you show that moment?"

"Of course." Invader's gem flashed and one of the screens showed her leaving the room and walking down the stairs. In the same corridor was a black woman witnessing that.

"I remember that," Revenant commented, "I even warned Generalíssima."

The latina woman frowned, "Did you do that?"

"Yeah, telepathically, ya didn't answah."

"I don't remember."

Inquisitor inquired, "Where were you?"

"At that moment?" Generalíssima shook her head. "I'm not sure."

But Invader had the answer. "She went to the data center."

"A room that has no cameras," the man stated.

"I was registering the last supplies I had brought." She squinted at him. "As you wanted."

The silence was a short song of tension between the two. Without taking his eyes off Generalíssima, Inquisitor spoke, "Madre, where were you?"

"In a place wheah theah are no cameras too," the red-haired woman said, "my room."

"It's true what she says." Invader confirmed by the footages. "She stayed in the room for several hours."

"I was preparing the material for the next meeting with the novices."

The girl in the chair looked at her. "You do that in the classroom."

Madre opened her mouth and blinked before saying, "Yes, normally. In that case I was doin' a selection of Bible readings that could bring hope in these difficult times and I preferred ta do that where I meditate. You know, our children have been really strong, but I feel like we're reachin' the limit. And now we have this problem to deal with..."

Inquisitor nodded, rubbing his beard. "Do you know what's the oddest thing of this?"

"What?" Generalíssima folded her arms.

"When I asked Invader to call all the sisters, I didn't expect them all to be here."

"Did you think the thief would have already left the base with the seeds?" Generalíssima shook her head. "It's not that easy."

Lucky smiled. "For Generalíssima it's a piece of piss!"

"Shut up, drongo," Revenant said.

Confusing the bunny, "What?"

Invader explained to the man, "The exit door can only be opened and closed from here."

He asked, "Isn't there a manual opening?"

"There are, for emergencies, but it requires a code that must be inserted mechanically. Only Nano, Generalíssima and Madre know how to do this."

"And if the door is opened that way, it cannot be closed," Generalíssima added, then turned to Invader, "but can you tell me if anyone tried to leave?"

The Asian girl focused on a screen where the recording was shown at an extremely fast speed. "There're no records, not even the ramp lights were turned on."

Inquisitor looked at the screens. "Having no records does not mean much to me, but let's consider that the thief was aware that they would not be able to escape, they would then have planned a hiding spot for the seeds. In that case, we... should..."

With his sudden pause and his surprised face, Generalíssima looked at the screens too, looking for anything. The corridor camera showed a masked person in a leather coat facing the access to the purification room's entrance. "Invader, is this still yesterday's footage?"

"Yes, yes... I was so distracted looking for other things..." The blue wing-shaped gem shone and she gaped. "This... This is from before the last time Inquisitor was is the room."

In an aggressive tone, Revenant asked, "What's Matryoshka doin' theah?"

"C'mon." Lucky shrugged. "She lives on that floor."

Generalíssima looked at the robot. "Did she visit the silo yesterday?"

Nano replied, "No, and my machines did not detect her presence."

Invader was narrating what she saw on the screen, "She's looking at each side of the corridor, she puts her hands in her pockets and... she enters the access."

A great silence filled the security room.

"How long was she there?" Generalíssima asked.

"Seven minutes and thirty-two seconds." Invader glanced at Inquisitor.

The man was even closer to the screens. The light exacerbated the tense contours of his face.

Invader looked down, holding her hands close to her chest. "You didn't say what it was about when you asked me to call all the sisters, and she's not one, so..."

"Where's she now?" He asked.

His voice was calm and controlled, which made Invader more concerned. "In her makeshift laboratory, near the reactor. I'll call her."

"No." Inquisitor went to the door. "We're going there."

He left without saying another word, leaving the sisters in the room looking at each other.

"Okay, sisters, let's follow him." Generalíssima went to the exit, sending an order to the robot, "Nano, stop what you're doing in the silo. I want you to meet us down there."

The lights in the robots' eyes flickered. "I'll do this."

"And bring the seeds!"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The metal door opened. Inquisitor entered first and soon the room was full of people.

Matryoshka was at the other end of the room, taking care of what appeared to be an aquarium on top of the boxes, with strange contraption in the water, with many connectors and cables connected to devices outside it. "Good day." She turned to the visitors. "You don't look like you came to witness my cold fusion experiment with heavy water." She then noticed someone and her voice carried more surprise, "Even Nano herself is here. It's not my birthday, is it?" she lowered her head, whispering, "when is my birthday? Hmm..."

"Where are the seeds?" Inquisitor asked.

"Seeds? Seeds... Oh!" Matryoshka started to grope her clothes. "Here? Hmmm..."

Inquisitor exchanged impatient glances with Generalíssima.

"Ah!" Matryoshka pointed in one direction. "The seeds are on top of... No, wait. I didn't receive any new seeds."

"The seeds were stolen from the safe," Generalíssima finally said.

Matryoshka's voice was of surprise. "How did you let this happen under your noses?"

Inquisitor spoke, "Why don't you tell us?"

"Oh, I understand..." Matryoshka put both hands on her head and then spread her arms, making the allusion that she was expanding it. "Since I'm a genius, I stole the seeds and returned to my normal routine, knowing that you would consider me suspicious because I'm not a member of Souls' Sisterhood."

Revenant snapped, "Ya bastahrd! We trusted ya!"

"Huh, Revah..." Lucky raised an eyebrow as she whispered, "she's bein' sarcastic."

Generalissíma said, "We have a recording that you accessed the room where is the safe yesterday."

Matryoshka replied promptly, "It's not forbidden to go there, yet."

The man asked, "What were you doing there?"

"What was I doing? I usually go for a walk when I want to think and to get rid of strange sensations."

Madre raised her eyebrows. "Strange sensations?"

"I hope I'm being clear." Matryoshka put her hands in her pockets. "When I was a child and I was alone in my dark room, lying on the bed, sometimes I felt like someone was watching me from the shadows and about to attack. I have that same feeling here, but with the room well lit. I certified there is no one, but I can't help it. Perhaps it's this silence..."

Lucky opened a big smile. "Look! It's the ghost again!"

Inquisitor shook his head. "Is that your excuse?"

"I don't need excuses," Matryoshka said, more annoyed, "doesn't the room with the safe have a camera? You can see that I did nothing."

"The camera broke," Nano said.

"How convenient..." Matryoshka spread her arms wide. "I didn't steal anything, you can look in the boxes. Turn everything upside-down."

"You wouldn't suggest where you hid the seeds." Inquisitor approached and started to unbutton her coat.

"Are you going to frisk me?"

"What do you think?"

"Good luck."

After opening the leather coat, Inquisitor came across the zipper of the blue sweatshirt. The internal part of the coat had many pockets with Russian labels, some papers, others with tools and bottles.

Matryoshka said, "You're going to have to go deeper if you think they're with me."

With a dour countenance, Inquisitor nodded and pulled the zipper. When the sweatshirt opened, a jumble of electrical wires came out, connected to panels with small metal levers and more old Russian labels. The smell of chemicals made his nostrils sting.

The masked person warned, "If you cut a wire or change a switch by accident, everyone in that room dies."

The man did not react, but neither did he move.

"It's a joke, okay? Only you die."

He asked, harshly, "Are you a comedian?"

"Only when I'm nervous."

Inquisitor did not hesitate any longer and made his way through the wires and panels. There did not seem to be any compartment to look for. Behind the wires was a green dress with feminine contours, matching with the skirt of the same color.

"Deeper," Matryoshka teased, "this one you open like a corset, I don't know if a man is abl-"

Inquisitor hugged her, his hands reaching for the ties on her back.

"O! Uhuhuhuhu..."

Even so close, Inquisitor was unable to see the eyes behind the mask visor. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just the surprise." She rested her head on his chest. [ _You look like you're realizing what an idiot you're being in front of the others._ ]

[ _That's what you think._ ] Inquisitor lowered his hands as he untied the corset, that was when he felt objects close to her ass. They had a hard, smooth surface and a rounded tip, but they seemed to be too thin to be seeds.

"Be careful!" Matryoshka raised her head, "One of these vials contains dimethyl-mercury. It's absorbed by the skin and your glove will not help you. One drop and you will be in a coma until someone finds a new brain for you or your gem becomes a seed."

Inquisitor narrowed his gaze. "Why do you carry such a dangerous substance for magical girls?"

"For the science."

He returned to untie the corset.

Matryoshka moaned. "Ahhh... I won't need auxiliary oxygen for now..."

Wary, Inquisitor removed the corset and took a step back. What he was seeing was hard to believe.

The other sisters in the room were no less astonished.

"Why the surprise?" Dozens of transparent tubes with substances were wrapped around Matryoshka's torso, some of them went under the skirt while others went into tailored openings, yet with blood marks, from the orange plastic coverall.

Inquisitor's eyes stung and watered, his nose accused a flesh and disinfectant smell that reminded him of a hospital environment. "These tubes of yours, they are..."

"Yes, they are. Our bodies are fantastic compact chemical factories. Anything can be produced with the right incentive. Unfortunately, our bodies also don't like invasive actions and more harmful substances have yet to be finished in the reactor under my skirt." She lifted her skirt, showing a strange toroidal device around her legs, with a few thick metal tubes in addition to the transparent tubes connected at the top. "Do you want to see it working?"

He paid attention to the coverall. "How do I open this outfit?"

"You don't. And I wouldn't want you to tear it up, since my skin hasn't been in contact with the atmosphere for a long time." Matryoshka tilted her head to the side. "You can still frisk me, or have you seen enough?"

Inquisitor's face hardened and he approached. His hands found spaces between the tubes and he felt the coverall, starting at the hips. Soon he realized that he could feel the bones easily, she was a thin person.

"You can be more aggressive, I don't feel tickling easily."

He ignored the teasing, concentrating on feeling any shape that looked like a seed. His hands went up the back, then returned to the abdomen, he felt her ribs and a bulge on her chest.

Matyoshka remained silent.

Looking straight at the mask visor, Inquisitor squeezed it just to be sure.

She said calmly, "Too soft to be seeds, isn't it?"

He removed his hands and stepped back, turning his face in a vain attempt to hide his frustration.

Lucky announced with a small leap of excitement, "Welcome ta the girls' club!"

"Did you doubt my gender?!" Matryoshka hugged herself and her clothes were enveloped in a blinding green light, including her corset on the floor. When the light faded, the corset was gone and she already had her coat closed, properly buttoned. "I want to see the safe."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In the area of the purification room's entrance, Inquisitor showed the safe open and empty. "It was closed, then I didn't move anything else."

Without asking, Matryoshka came over and leaned into the safe, feeling around the compartment walls.

He asked, "What are you doing?"

"Verifying if there was a false bottom." She stepped away from the safe. "The best tricks are so ridiculous that fools refuse to imagine them."

Meanwhile, Nano was finishing her diagnosis of the security camera.

"What did you find?" Generalíssima asked.

"Like the other time, the connectors were displaced," the child said, "I thought it was due to the high temperature variation caused by Inquisitor, but now I know it was deliberate."

"And anyone can have done that." Revenant exchanged unfriendly looks with Inquisitor. "If the camera had burned, everythin' would be easiah..."

Matryoshka commented, "That's why in Motherland Union we always have a group guarding the seeds at all times. Technology isn't smart, people are."

Madre asked the others, "How do you think the thief managed to open the safe?"

Generalíssima thought for a moment and said, "When it comes to magic, anything is possible, but seeing that the safe is intact, the person must have done it through the electronic panel."

"It would have been hacked, wouldn't it?" Invader spoke.

Generalíssima turned to her in surprise, realizing what she had said.

"Of course..." The ballerina was crestfallen. "I easily open this safe with my magic, just as I can manipulate images from security cameras to erase my tracks. It makes me the prime suspect and the thief must know that."

"We don't have any suspects yet," Generalíssima declared, "Invader, you were with Nano during the theft. We saw it."

"We saw what the cameras showed." Inquisitor approached the little girl. "Nano, did she visit you?"

"Yes, I already said."

He continued to inquire, "Has she always been with you? Never lost sight of her?"

Concerned about the size of that man in front of her, Nano exchanged looks with Invader. "She was always close to me."

"Did you touch her?"

Nano froze. "Huh?"

Inquisitor raised his eyebrows. "Or did she touch you?"

Lucky frowned, smiling. "Ermm... This conversation is gettin' weird. Hehe... Ouchie!"

Revenant slapped the back of the bunny's head.

"Yes, we touched each other." Nano nodded. "She helped me carry some tools."

Generalíssima spoke, "Invader's projections cannot interact with physical objects."

"I know that well!" Inquisitor gazed intensely at the child. "If you're lying..."

"I'm not! I swear!" Nano exclaimed, with a crying face. "Why would I do that? I'm loyal to the Sisterhood, this is my only home. Where else would I go?"

Inquisitor lowered his gaze, pondering, "Yes, for some this is their only home..."

Matryoshka interrupted, announcing, "There's a simpler method that the thief may have used." She closed the safe's door. "Is the lock automatic?"

"That's right," Generalíssima replied.

"Good, good, so let's see..." Matryoshka started typing on the panel. "Hmmm... 192316." The door lock made a distinctive sound and it opened. " _Touché!_ " When she turned to the others in the room, she was shoved.

Inquisitor pressed her against the wall. "HOW DID YOU KNOW THE CODE?!"

Keeping calm, Matryoshka replied, "Psalms, nineteenth book of the bible, chapter twenty three, verses one through six."

He opened his eyes wide and was speechless.

"It's you who use the safe, a religious man," Matryoshka explained, "nothing more natural than using one of the most famous passages in the Bible as a password. Unfortunately, I ended up getting it right on the first try, I was hoping to get it right after several ones, since this panel doesn't seem to prevent it. Am I wrong, Nano?"

The little girl scratched her head with her gauntlet. "You're not. I put the same panel that is used on the doors, I didn't think about that."

"This is what happens when you let children do the work of adults," the masked magical girl said, "and do you intend to be a global organization?"

Inquisitor narrowed his eyes. "Most people don't know that the Psalms is the nineteenth book in the Bible."

"That's the keyword, most." She put her hands in her pockets. "Motherland Union wouldn't send someone incompetent for this important partnership with the Sisterhood. I visited Rome, Vatican, _capiche_?"

Inquisitor shook his head. "You think you're intelligent, but you just made your situation worse."

"I have nothing to hide because I didn't steal the seeds. Maybe you should ask someone who knows the code and has yet to speak."

Lucky raised her hand. "Generalíssima must know the code, 'cause she was the one who did the purification before Inquisitor arrived."

Revenant exasperated. "Stop bullshittin', drongo!"

"'Cause? Isn't true?"

"Yes, it's true." Generalíssima raised her voice.

Everyone looked at her.

"I could break the camera, open the safe, take the seeds and leave the base without being noticed." She smiled slightly. "But I didn't do that, or why would I still be here? Besides, I wouldn't need all that, I just had to come here anytime and take the seeds. All of you together wouldn't be able to stop me."

"YEAH!" Revenant nodded. "We wouldn't have a chance!"

"Ah..." Matryoshka looked at Generalíssima, saying in a suspicious tone of homage, "the paragon of the Sisterhood."

Inquisitor pressed Matryoshka against the wall again, before releasing her and returning to where the sisters were, pointing to the floor and speaking aloud, "No one leaves this base under any circumstances! We'll search every corner of this place and find the seeds, and this thief, no, this TRAITOR will pay dearly."

Somewhat intimidated by that man's fury, Madre asked, "Should we tell the novices about this?"

"Yes, it's necessary," he said, "we don't know how long it'll take us to find the seeds, we'll have to ration what we have. From now on, we'll all have to do our part and avoid using magic." Then he turned to Nano. "You need to stop your machines that are working on the project."

"Hey, wait! Wait a second!" Generalíssima looked at him. "I don't agree with that, the project needs to continue."

Inquisitor scowled at her. "WHAT?!"

"The project is almost finished. Nano can use less magic, work more slowly, but it cannot stop."

"Tell me..." He calmed down, but with a penetrating gaze. "Why is this project more important than the souls of everyone here?"

"I can only say that these facilities that **I command** were built for this project." Generalíssima puffed out her chest. "This is not Europe or Washington. Most of the novices who live here weren't recruited, but rescued. Their stay here is meant to be temporary."

Inquisitor insisted. "It would be easier to accept what you ask for if you tell more details."

She shook her head. "It's confidential."

"For God's sake!" He put his hands on his head and closed his eyes.

"You know the rules! You need authorization from Washington."

"Washington?!" He opened his eyes wide, distilling cholera. "Look at our situation! Look! Have a good sense!"

"Do you want to know everything about the project?"

He immediately turned around, as surprised as Generalíssima.

Matryoshka had opened her coat and removed a document inside it. "Read this." She handed the papers over to him.

Generalíssima walked towards her. "You can't do that!"

"You don't give me orders," Matryoshka said, "and Motherland Union gave me complete autonomy to share this information with anyone I wanted."

Inquisitor flipped through a few pages. "It's all in Russian."

"You can interpret the schematics, can't you?"

Generalíssima held her breath as she watched the man leaf through a few more pages.

Inquisitor finally stopped and opened his eyes wide. He then showed the page close to the dark pink-eyed woman's face. "What's it?!"

It was the drawing of a compartment specially designed to contain a soul gem surrounded by grief seeds.

Seeing that, Generalíssima gritted her teeth and ordered, "Everyone here, leave."

Madre, Lucky, Revenant, Invader, Nano... looked at each other.

"NOW!"

Still confused and worried, they left.

Matryoshka also decided to leave, but was prevented by Generalíssima's arm.

"No, you stay."

Inquisitor continued to hold the page, looking at Generalíssima without blinking even once.

She sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell you. What you're seeing is what's going to be inside the satellite that we'll put into orbit."

"Are you going to send a soul into space?" Inquisitor frowned. "Whose?"

Generalíssima replied, "A magical girl that Washington was preparing for this mission."

He continued with the frown. "Did she volunteer for that?"

She was silent for a brief moment before saying, "That's why this project is confidential."

"Oh my God..." Inquisitor lowered the arm that was holding the page.

"I don't see that much drama in this," Matryoshka said, "inside the gem you lose track of time. The two years that this satellite was designed to stay in orbit will pass quickly."

"And then she dies in a fireball at the reentry of the atmosphere?" He questioned.

"The compartment was designed to withstand this, it's safer than for astronauts," Generalíssima said, "the greatest risk is if a witch is born from the seeds."

Matryoshka shook her head. "It shouldn't happen. Without a body, the gem corrupts very slowly. This mission could last five years without any problems."

Inquisitor looked at the two women. "What's this mission?"

"The gem will be integrated with a device capable of amplifying the sensitivity to magic in one direction." Generalíssima put her hand to her chest. "When I was in Washington, I supervised and approved this invention after rigorous testing."

"And do you intend to scan the planet with this?"

Generalíssima nodded. "The information will be shared between us and Motherland Union."

"Okay..." He squinted. "How do you intend to launch this rocket without the whole world knowing?"

"Leave it to us," Matryoshka said, "we have a team of 'Invaders' to jam the radars of NORAD, ВВКО, and others for a while. The investigations will only find a North Korean cyber terrorism network."

"As for possible eye witnesses," Generalíssima added, smiling, "we have planned a disinformation campaign. We'll spread clearly fake videos and images on the Internet, unfounded accusations and jokes. In a few weeks, it'll be nothing more than a conspiracy theory."

The man looked away while scratching his beard.

"Imagine, Inquisitor." Generalíssima's voice was soothing. "When a girl makes a contract with Incubator, in less than a day we'll know where she lives. We'll be able to estimate the population of magical girls and witches in a region. We'll be able to identify and locate this new type of witches. We may even find Walpurgisnatch!"

"You're being quite optimistic," Inquisitor declared, "but I recognize that the success of this project will bring a new era, not only for the Sisterhood but for all the magical girls in the world. We will not be one step ahead of Incubator yet, but we will be closer."

Generalíssima nodded , triumphant.

"However..."

Her smile was gone.

"As you said, the girl was being prepared by Washington. We lost contact with them, we don't know if this girl is still alive. I cannot see the need for such urgency."

Generalíssima snorted and ground her teeth. "As soon as we reestablish communications with Washington, I guarantee that the first thing they'll ask is whether the project is ready. This could be the key to overcome this crisis!"

Inquisitor was unmoved. "The crisis may have changed their priority, I accept the risk of being wrong."

Generalíssima widened her eyes and came very close to him, affirming, "You'll be expelled from the Sisterhood!"

"Yes, I take responsibility."

Bewildered, she gaped.

"I have to agree with Inquisitor. It doesn't make sense to finish the project now."

Feeling that new punch in the guts, Generalíssima looked at Matryoshka.

"You only talk about Washington, but I also need to communicate with the Union. Only with their final approval will you have our help with the launch."

Inquisitor then said, "We can get the seeds back and return back to work on the project before we even have any news about Washington."

With her erratic breathing, Generalíssima did not know where to look.

Nothing that could change his opinion. "What do you say?"

She took a deep breath and raised her finger. "One condition, the three seeds stay with me. The seeds that were stolen were your responsibility!"

"Fair." He left. "I will ask Nano to give you the seeds."

It was so sudden that Generalíssima froze.

"Oh yes, you can take the document with you, I didn't even want it back." Matryoshka spoke to herself and then looked at the other woman. "Well, I think I need to stop with my experiments..."

Without saying anything, Generalíssima waited until she was alone. Breathing out of rhythm, she walked towards the wall and rested her forehead against it. Her teeth gritted like never before and the muscles in her neck tensed as she held back a scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The power of friendship


	6. The power of friendship

__

_Ploc! Ploc! PLOOOOCCK!_

I hear.

_You hear! You hear, heaaaiiiiiiiiiiii!_

I can not stop hearing, my nails tear the mattress.

_PLOOaaacKKPloPloaack!_

_Haha! When your daddy finds out! It's thirty-three thirtyyyyytrÊÊÊEÊ PENIS_

_Where is your mom? Where will she be?_

My thoughts... Who are these people? The ceiling is so close, I am sweating, I am breathing through my mouth.

_BLUACLKLEJJDKAJADPLOOAACKMWWAAAAA! PLOc. Cold, thirty-three degrees._

_Raped you, didn't I tell you?_

_Pussy is wet, is it baby? You'll have a bABBBYYYYYY!_

_PLoc Ploach PlockkiPloac._

[ _Are you having a crisis?_ ]

I am in my bed. It is that voice again, I recognize it. I look at that strange white rabbit with rings in its long ears. Its eyes are like blood.

[ _The medicine is no longer working, but it is still possible to put an end to it if you become a magical girl._ ]

_He wants to rape you, hahaha! Thirty-three pLOAck thirty._

My mouth is open. I screamed? I can not stop hearing. I get up, I smell gas.

_Gonna die. Gonna die! GONNA DIE!_

I punch my own head. It hurts, I hope he is feeling it too. "GET OUT! GET OUT!"

[ _I know that in your condition it is difficult to believe, but I am real and I offer something that can help you._ ]

_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZPLOORAAAAAXKCK!_

The door opens. It is my bedroom door. A man passes by, he is wearing a skin mask.

_Thirty._

_It's your mother's!_

_Thirty. Thirty. Thirty-three buttons, thirty-three hearts, thirty-three priests. Thirty. Thirty-three God._

"Merri?"

I hear him speak. I recognize that man's mask. It is my dad's face.

_Daddy cameeee~~ You know what he wants._

_Plo! Plo! Plo!_

"Ya're shakin'." He comes over, he has a glass of clear liquid and pills. "Quick! Swallow it!"

_It's poison!_

_You know what happens when you go to sleep, don't you?_

_PLOONHNUEHUHAEOAJKKKLLLLLLLLHHIHIIIIHHIHIHIIII!_

_You are no longer a child, now you are better than your mom. That's why she's not here anymore._

"Open your mouth!"

He holds my jaw tightly. It hurts. I punch him, I think I hit his rib. He is too strong. The pill comes in first, then comes the water, straight to my throat. I drown.

_Just die now._

_TTRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

He covers my mouth with his hand. I am crying. Some water escapes, but I still can not breathe. He releases my mouth and hugs me tightly.

_You're feeling his coc-_

"MERRI! MERRI! Remembah the mountain!"

_Mountain?_

I hear my voice, I am on top of a mountain, the landscape is made up of empty shapes and without details. It is just me and the world, as my dad taught, I think I hear voices, but it is just the wind playing a trick on me. I feel like my head is as light as clouds, my brain tingles.

I remember that I was not alone, but that being was no longer on the floor of my room.

"Did ya see that strange rabbit again?"

I do not answer. I hug him, I want to cry on my daddy's chest and let go. "Why... Why isn't mommy heah?"

Nobody can put a hand on my head like him. I feel like he wants to cry, but he is strong. "She got tired, but she'll be back, my lil'princess. S-She'll be back when you get bettah."

I sink my fingertips into his body. "But it's gettin' worse. The doctor said-"

"Ya don't need ta be hospitalized. It should be possible ta increase the dosage of the medicine or exchange for anothah one. We'll see that."

I feel his chest puff out more and for longer. We were silent, but the silence no longer gives me any relief, because I know that at any moment I will not be able to stop hearing. "Dad, maybe I bettah go..."

He pulls away and looks me straight in the eye. His expression is one of pain, of someone who understands what I really meant, perhaps better than me.

My dad's face changes, he moves his gaze upwards, as if he is glimpsing something distant. He looks back at me, smiling. "Some climber friends told me that. Do ya know what happens to the mountain aftah we conquer it?"

I shake my head. I had climbed one mountain with my dad, only once, and I am not even sure if it was a mountain, because it did not compare with the ones he had climbed. All of this has become past because of me.

"It doesn't move," he says, "it's still there, imposing, and we respect it as much as we do befawre we climb it and the othahs who'll come will also respect it, as it'll remain what it is when we turn away."

I can still hear the wind, the majestic force above the clouds. It is still there, while we are just passing by.

"Merri, my daughter, this disease isn't part of you. These voices come and go, but ya'll remain you. Ya'll not give them anythin', nothin', and they won't be able ta do anythin' ta ya, but turn their backs and leave."

I feel more dizzy and sleepy. The mountain carries me in its arms and I float in the soft sky, the wind, so powerful previously, caresses my face, taking away my held tears.

_Thanks daddy._

* * *

**The power of friendship**

In the dormitory, the novices received the latest instructions from Madre and Revenant.

"... and be vigilant," the red-haired sister said, "if you notice that someone has a very corrupted gem, don't hesitate to inform me. Stay calm, as we still have some seeds in case of emergency."

"YA LIED TA US!"

Everyone ended up looking at a blonde novice.

Especially Maya, who had seen her friend furious so many times since they were there. "Alice..."

Madre noticed that the novice was looking only at her. "Did... Did I lie?"

"We only agreed ta come heah 'cause ya said ya had seeds, that ya would take care of us." Alice's eyes were watery and she heaved. "Now there'll be no more seed for us. I KNEW IT! YA FAHCKIN' BITCH!"

"HEY!" Revenant gritted her teeth and opened her eyes wide. "Close yah mouth."

"Stay calm, please." Madre gestured to the other sister and replied, "It's reasonable that you're feelin' this way, but it's as I explained: someone took our seeds without authorization, but we're sure that they're still in our base. Right now, the other sisters are sparin' no effort in finding them."

Alice winced, lowering her head.

Maya approached. "It's okay..." However, before Maya could touch her, she ran away.

Surprising everyone, including Revenant. "Where are ya goin'?"

Alice entered the tunnel and disappeared.

"It's ta stay in the dormitory!" The black woman was about to run after her.

"Leave her."

Revenant stopped and looked at Madre.

"She has nowhere to go," Madre's statement sounded as cold as the truth, "she bettah be alone to think. If we try to talk to her now, we'll just make her angrier."

Revenant looked again at the tunnel and then back at the other sister, nodding.

Madre returned her attention to the other novices. "We're takin' care of the situation. You bettah stay on that floor. Don't use magic, rest and find somethin' to distract yourselves. If we need your help in the search, we'll let you know."

With the sisters leaving the dormitory, whispers between the novices soon began.

Most were about the seeds, but Maya could hear some about Alice.

She needed to find her friend.

Making sure that no one else was paying attention to her, Maya discreetly left the dormitory and walked through the tunnel.

Used to being always accompanied, the curved walls now had an oppressive silence.

[ _Alice. Alice. Alice!_ ]

There was no answer and Maya moved on. The tunnel reached a fork, luckily, she had already memorized the path.

The goal was the refectory, it was the most likely place that Alice could be and also the safest without attracting the attention of a sister on the way. She looked at the red stripe painted on the wall, just to be sure.

The tunnel curved and Maya saw a person's shadow on the wall. Someone was coming in the opposite direction, it could be Alice or someone who could have seen her.

However, the person who appeared was someone she least expected.

The girl with purple hair, with red nuances, stopped as soon as she saw her. She was surprised, but it did not take long for her pale face to show only apathy.

Maya tried to remember, but she had not paid attention to whether Evie was in the dormitory when sisters came to make the announcement.

"Hi," Evie spoke.

"Hi..." Maya replied, hesitating, "you... ahm... the sistahs came ta the dorm ta say theah'll be rationin' of seeds."

"I know."

The dark-skinned girl's face froze. "Huh?"

Evie sighed and lowered her head slightly, closing her eyes and scratching her brow. "I heard the sistahs talkin' about it while they're goin' ta the dorm."

"Ah... yeah..." With an awkward silence settling in, Maya decided to ask, "D-Did ya happen ta see my friend?"

Evie looked at her again, raising her eyebrows. "Friend?"

Maya looked away. "Alice, ya must know who it is."

"Of course." Evie's voice was less listless. "So she's fahr."

Maya furrowed her brows. "I dunno, didn't ya see her in the refectory?"

"Nah, I didn't see her."

She smiled politely at the pale girl. "Thanks, but I think I'll check it out anyway." And went on her way.

However, Evie blocked it with her own body.

"Wha-"

She continued to use her body to push Maya and press her against the tunnel wall, while aggressively intertwining the fingers of her right hand with those of the other girl's left hand.

"Wha-" Suddenly, Maya felt a tingling inside her chest, followed by a burning pain, and it was spreading.

"Don't scream, just pray that no one comes ta help ya," Evie said, "I sweah I'll kill ya if that happens."

That girl was smiling. It was more difficult to breathe and her legs were weak, Maya gathered strength to say, "What... What are ya doin'?!"

"Ya know a lot about this, Maya." Evie squeezed the other girl's hand tighter. "There are several types of poisons. Some afflict the body, othahs afflict the mind and theah are also those which afflict the soul."

The tunnel lights bothered her eyes as Maya tried to face her tormentor. "What... d'ya mean?"

"I inoculated a spell in yah gem." Evie was more serious than before. "Within a few minutes, ya'll lose consciousness and yah gem will quickly degrade. Even if they use seeds, it'll not remain pure for long. I give ya less than an hour ta become a witch."

Maya frowned.

Evie was silent, just looking at her, waiting.

But then, Maya shook her head, narrowing her eyes and saying, "Ya're not gonna do this."

The pale girl smiled. "Oh... won't I?"

"There are security cameras..." Her lips were quivering, but Maya returned the smile. "They'll... know what really happened. They are lookin'... for a traitor 'nd you... ah... ya don't look like a suicider."

"Are ya droppin' the mask already?" Evie's smile became a smug.

"What...?" Maya shook her head again, but now in confusion.

"I'll tell ya what 'happened'." Evie raised her eyebrows. "I was just comin' back from the refectory when I came across a desperate novice. She hadn't received the news about seed rationin' well and her friend was gone. I noticed that her gem was too dark 'nd asked her ta see a sistah, but she refused. Since I didn't wanna risk her becomin' a witch among othah novices, I subdued her and tried ta convince her ta change her mind, but in the end she passed out. Everyone knows that I'm kinda rough with people, just as everyone knows that Maya, unfortunately, is a poor thin', always dependent on othahs. She just couldn't take the pressure."

Maya's jaw dropped.

"They don't know that my magic is capable of that, or d'ya think I'm an idiot ta reveal all my secrets ta the sistahs? I'm sure ya're not, so I'm usin' yah little game against ya."

Lowering her head, Maya asked in a tired voice, "Why... d'ya cahre about that...?"

Evie's smiling face became a reflection of anger in an instant. "Cuz I do, and ya still have a chance ta live if ya obey me."

Maya wondered if it was not better to die to end the pain, but the imperative of survival ended up prevailing. "What d'ya want from me?"

"I wanna ya tell me what yah wish was."

She looked back at her aggressor.

Evie's anger was more contained, but her voice carried disgust, "I already have an idea of what it is, I'm just givin' ya the chance ta be a good girl. Feel free to try to deceive me, not that this has worked so fahr."

Maya felt the urge to ask why that girl cared about this, but she just said, "I wished I had a friend."

Evie turned her face away and sighed, then gulped.

Maya did not know what that meant. Would she die? She said, "It's tru-"

The pale girl grabbed the dark-skinned girl's face with her other hand.

Maya's eyes widened before those gritted teeth.

"Yep Maya! That's yah wish." Evie used all the sarcasm. "Congratulations, Alice is yah personal slave."

Maya struggled to try to shake her head. "S-She's not my slave!"

Evie came even closer, spitting in the other girl's face with every word. "Ya're about ta die 'n are ya still kiddin' me?! She's a fuckin' extension of ya! She speaks what ya think and acts as ya would like to act, while ya play the damsel in distress. Alice shouldn't even be yah first 'friend', when she finally gets screwed, anothah victim adopts ya."

Her last exclamation seemed to have taken all of her strength, Maya was running out of breath quickly. "If... that was true... why did she run away... why isn't she with me?"

Evie let go of Maya's face and saw that she could no longer hold her head up. "Cause ya don't trust the Sistahhood anymore."

Maya breathed as fast as she could in her body's desperate search to ease the agony.

"Ya're afraid, as ya must be. Yah kind don't last long heah. I'm only sorry that Alice will pay the same price."

With her heart pounding in her ears, Maya stammered, "A... Alice is... my real friend... my best friend... I... I revealed my wish... to her... she accepted."

"Of course, she'll accept it!" Evie's expression was unrecognizable, full of emotions. "She said everythin' ya wanted ta hear."

"A ... A ..." The tongue was numb as well as the eyelids, Maya no longer knew if she was breathing or if her heart was beating. Given in to gravity, her face was buried in the other girl's body, while she felt as if she were being sucked into a nexus of pain, fated to explode.

_Okay, you won, you're right, just kill me, I deserve it, just kill me, just kill me, kill me..._

Suddenly, the pain was gone, followed by another, much more tolerable pain of the buttocks hitting the hard floor. Maya took a breath and felt her hand was free.

Evie had retreated. "I see no malice, only a coward convinced of her own illusion. I ain't in the mood ta kill ya anymore."

Drooling, Maya no longer cared to understand that girl, but she wanted to be understood. "Not... Ah ... illusion..."

"What didya say?"

Maya lifted her head and looked for the pair of purple eyes. "I know what my wish did... but Alice is my friend, I... I want this friendship to be true."

Evie crossed her arms. "If Alice is yah friend, do the followin': become a witch."

Maya frowned.

"The situation is getting' worse 'nd I think it's just the beginnin'. There'll be sacrifices for the Sistahhood, but ya have a choice to do for her sake. Perhaps that will put an end ta the curse that ya imposed on her."

"Curse..." Maya's gaze went lost.

The pale girl turned away. "Do somethin' worthy at least once in yah miserable existence." And left.

The tunnel went silent to the point that the fallen girl could hear her stuffy nose, but not the tears that flowed smoothly down her cheeks, meeting under her tense chin before the final fall. Maya got up with difficulty and looked at her gem, it was stained, but there were still sparkling spots.

_Our memories. Alice, to each other, we really are best friends._

**／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Madre and Revenant arrived in a large space with shelves containing boxes and more boxes. Inquisitor, Generalíssima and the other sisters were opening each one and checking the contents, just like Matryoshka.

As soon as the man saw them, he asked, "Have you notified the novices? How did they react?"

"Quite well," Revenant said, "at least fawr most of them."

Madre added, "They're bein' cautious, they still don't know how this rationing will impact them and, honestly, neither do we."

Revenant looked at the other sisters working on the search, "Anythin'?"

"No... and we're almost done here." Inquisitor looked at the open box next to him and took a bag of pasta out of it. "Each box was checked more than once by a different person, to ensure that no one would pretend not to find it. It's almost certain that this isn't where the seeds are."

"I found!"

Surprised, the three turned their attention when they heard Lucky.

The bunny girl took a smaller brown box out of the box. "Chocolate gummies!" She opened it immediately and started to distribute, throwing the sweets. "Take Nano! I know ya like it."

The child let the candies hit her chest while making a 'basket' with her hands to catch them in the fall. Her eyes literally lit up in the form of a light blue cross as she smiled. "Ohhh! Thanks!"

Invader tried to catch the gummies coming towards her, but her extra long sleeves made it a challenge. "Oh no..."

Matryoshka handled the flying treats by opening her coat pockets wide.

Generalíssima did not move, letting the candies fall to the floor, with a disapproving look. "This was purchased for a special occasion."

"Well..." Lucky grimaced, looking away, and shrugged. "We're on a special occasion, it just isn't necessarily good."

"Hmmm..." Generalíssima looked at the gummies scattered on the floor. "You're right."

Lucky frowned. "I... I am?!"

With a frustrated countenance, but still watching that scene, Inquisitor commented to Madre and Revenant, "The next place we'll look for is in the data center, it's on the same floor."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The door opened and the group was greeted by the cold air in the room. The black box towers had a constant fan sound and the flashing lights showed that the servers were operational.

Since the space was small, the sisters remained close to each other, but that did not help much Lucky, who was rubbing both arms vigorously. "Hey Nano, can't ya make a heatah for us?"

"No magic," Inquisitor said promptly.

"Ah..." Chattering her teeth, Lucky lowered her head.

Generalíssima said, "There's not much to look for here."

"I disagree." Inquisitor looked at Nano and Invader. "Can you open the server's chassis without having to shut them down?"

Invader nodded. "They're designed for that. You can even remove memory cards and data storage components."

"Let's do this!" Nano, followed by Invader, went to the machines. The chassis were just seated, making it easy to remove.

This was done on each computer, followed by a thorough check by Inquisitor, but there was nothing there but wires and circuits.

Looking at the corners of the ceiling, Revenant asked, "Can someone explain ta me again why we don't have a camera right heah?"

"Yes, I don't understand much of these things," Madre said, "I would also like to know."

Generalíssima replied, "It's the protocol."

Inquisitor was more generous in his words. "These servers contain sensitive information from the entire Sisterhood, including the sisters' profiles. They periodically synchronize with the other data centers in the world, but that's no longer true since Washington asked us to disconnect to avoid attempts to find our location."

"Right..." Revenant furrowed her brows. "And what does this hafta do with the cameras?"

"The password is very precious," Generalíssima stated, "and the cameras would open up opportunities for someone who's not authorized to know about it without us noticing it."

"Like a magical girl with magic similar to Invader's." Inquisitor looked at the Asian girl. "I apologize for using you as an example."

She shook her head. "It's not necessary, I'm aware of the reasons for these restrictions."

"Huh?" Lucky closed one eye and scratched her head, struggling to think. "She can literally enter computers."

"I can obtain the data," Invader explained, "but it would be unreadable, because everything is encrypted. I have no idea what's here, but certainly if it falls into the wrong hands, it would be a threat to the Sisterhood."

A thud. The sisters looked at the source of that sound.

Matryoshka was jumping around. "Interesting, it's hollow."

Generalíssima widened her eyes. "WHO LET HER ENTER HERE?!"

"Чё? Are you talking about me?" Matryoshka showed that her hands were in her pockets. "I only followed you. I don't see a problem with all of you here, I didn't even get close to the computers."

"Revenant," Gerenalíssima said.

"Yeah." The black woman hurried to push the masked magical girl toward the door. "Move."

Matryoshka protested, "Why all this violence? Just ask!"

Without saying anything, Revenant opened the sliding door.

Before leaving the room by force, however, Matryoshka still had something to announce, "The floor is hollow!"

The door closed seconds after Revenant left as well.

Accompanied by the sound of the fans, Inquisitor was quick to ask, "What's below us?"

"This is where the power cables and the cables from the local network are," Nano said, "it's a very tight space."

He nodded. "Show me."

"Erm..." Nano gestured to the other sisters. "Guys, move away." She knelt on the floor, made up of large polystyrene tiles. The cracks between the tiles were wide enough to put the fingers on and the child used this to be able to lift one of them.

Everyone saw that just below was the concrete floor and the cables grouped together, well organized with straps, forming thick colored tubes.

Nano smiled. "As you can see..."

Inquisitor knelt. "Give me a flashlight."

"Oh... sure ..." Nano held out her gauntlet and a small gray metallic cloud coalesced. It soon solidified, generating the desired tool.

Lucky pouted. "Is magic allowed now?"

Generalíssima stared at her.

The bunny one raised her arms. "Okay, okay, I know, I know... I ain't stupid."

With the flashlight in hand, Inquisitor inclined his head and torso into the opening and started looking in every corner, pulling the cables.

"Watch out!" Generalíssima warned, "You'll end up shutting down the servers."

Inquisitor did not reply, still focused on the search.

After a certain wait, Generalíssima commented, "It'll be necessary to remove the entire floor."

"It won't be." Inquisitor stood up. "Everything is very clean and empty, the cables run along the wall and do not obstruct the view."

Nano nodded proudly. "A good job has been done here."

"Are you sure?" Generalíssima's eyes narrowed.

He offered the flashlight. "Do you want to see?"

She accepted without hesitation and did what Inquisitor had done.

The sisters watched Generalíssima crawling through the opening and there was a certain weight in the air. Madre sighed and ended up noticing Invader looking at her for a moment, with her icy eyes, and then Lucky too, her hands close to her holsters.

Generalíssima rose, her countenance already said everything.

Madre broke the silence, "So are we done with the search here?"

Inquisitor nodded slightly. "Any suggestions for the next location?"

Generalíssima looked at him, her voice with a tone of suspicion, "I think it's a good idea to pay a visit to Matryoshka's second 'home'."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The room was well lit. A panel occupied an entire wall, with buttons, levers and many Russian labels glued to it. A large screen featured a schematic of a capsule and some pipes connected to it, with monitoring information being updated constantly.

"Come in! Come in!" Matryoshka stood in front of that panel, with open arms. "Take the opportunity for those who haven't to contemplate one of the fruits of our great partnership. With my expertise, and your resources and work, we have a fully operational molten salt nuclear reactor! It's capable of generating up to fifteen megawatts per hour of clean and safe energy."

Inquisitor went straight to the panel, more specifically to a hatch. He opened it and found a control cabinet.

"Of course." Matryoshka put her hands in her pockets. "We can look for the seeds too..."

However, there were not many places in the room where it was possible to hide what they were looking for.

"We need to check the reactor room," Generalíssima said.

"No problem." Matryoshka walked to the exit. "I open the door for you."

They had all returned to the main corridor on the bottom floor of the base, in front of the huge metal door with warnings of danger.

"Hmmm..." Madre raised her left hand with the ring, ready to use. "Isn't protection needed?"

"These warnings are for idiots," Matryoshka replied, as she inserted the access code on the panel, "we're a greater threat to the reactor than it is to us."

As soon as the door started to open, a continuous, loud machine noise came from the room.

"WHAAAT THHHEE HEEECK?!" Lucky covered her ears.

Matryoshka's voice sounded in the sisters' minds. [ _People, because of the turbine, we'll have to use telepathy._ ]

The room was very spacious, it was necessary for the machinery to fit. A seven-meter-tall capsule hung above a dry pool. Some pipes were connected with the capsule and went to other compartments close to the turbine, and many aligned rods were on top of the capsule.

Inquisitor could feel the intense heat emanating from the capsule, it did not seem prudent to get any closer. [ _What's inside those pipes?_ ]

The masked magical girl put her hands in her pockets. [ _Despite the sophistication of this reactor, the mother of modernity still is the steam. When it isn't water, it's a complex fluid composed of salts._ ]

He pointed to the capsule. [ _Is it possible to hide something inside that?_ ]

Matryoshka turned to him, saying nothing.

The others in the room also did not dare say anything, feeling that they had already seen that scene.

Inquisitor was annoyed. [ _What?_ ]

Matryoshka shook her head. [ _This reminded me of a time when two new collaborators in the Union decided to escape from work by hiding in a deposit containing radioactive waste from one of our reactors. They realized their mistake in a matter of minutes, when they started to throw up. Hours later, their skin and hair began to fall out, like the rind of a rotten fruit. For three weeks, they were very useful living specimens for studies of muscle anatomy._ ]

[ _I see..._ ] Inquisitor looked at Madre. [ _But nothing that a healing spell cannot solve._ ]

[ _It looks like you were very stubborn about not bringing your brain today._ ] Matryoshka looked back at the capsule. [ _The fluid inside is at a high temperature and is extremely corrosive. Unless you also believe that our thief wanted to get rid of the seeds, instead of owning them._ ]

[ _Enough!_ ] Generalíssima started walking around the area. [ _We will search where we can._ ]

Splitting into two groups, they searched around each pipe, behind each machinery and in every corner inside the pool under the capsule, as Matryoshka made it clear that it was safe.

And nothing was found.

Back in the main hall, everyone waited for the door to close.

Invader massaged her ears. "I'm deaf..."

"Oh yes," Madre agreed as she did the same, "this reactor is so powerful, I'm afraid if it evah explodes."

"Никогда! Никогда!" Matryoshka raised her finger and brandished it aggressively. "This reactor was designed not to have the shortcomings of a conventional nuclear reactor. It's the future! It's not like these suicider's jokes known as hydrogen and plasma, let alone these deplorable renewable energy based on nonrenewable resources, which would put any civilization a hundred years behind if they were adopted beyond-"

Inquisitor took her arm and forced it down. "Okay, we understood."

"All this energy talk made me hungry." Lucky ran a hand over her belly.

Revenant nodded. "We should take a break."

"Not before we take a look at the silo," Inquisitor affirmed.

Making Nano's eyes widen. "Are you going to look there too?"

"Nano and I were there when the theft occurred," Invader said, "I don't think the thief would risk hiding the seeds there."

"I said that we'll search every corner of this base!" Inquisitor was harsh with his words. "If this thief managed to trick the cameras, they may well have done the same to our senses."

Nano lowered her gaze. "The search will take days..."

"So we better start early," the man concluded.

Being corroborated by Generalíssima. "Yes, we aren't going to waste time."

And by Matryoshka. "Yes, yes, I would like to make this visit."

Generalíssima looked at the Russian magical girl.

"Or do you have any objections?"

"None..." Generalíssima slightly closed her eyes. "As long as Revenant keeps an eye on you."

"Ah... I already love her company!" Matryoshka nodded. "The faces she makes amuses me."

"What?!" The black woman faced her.

"Let's go!" Inquisitor raised his voice, making it clear that he would not wait for anyone.

The sisters and Matryoshka followed him in a hurry, leaving Revenant behind.

Except Lucky. "Ya shouldn't be taken in by her words so easily. It's her personality."

Revenant tensed her muscles. "She should stick her personality in her arsehole, if she still has one..."

It was a long way to the silo and the footsteps dictated the tension between the members. Invader looked at Nano, the child did not take her eyes off the man who led the group.

[ _Invader._ ]

It was Generalíssima's voice, but she noticed that her leader had not looked in her direction and no one else seemed to have heard it. [ _What can I do for you?_ ]

[ _After that, I want to have a private talk with you._ ]

The Asian girl held her breath. [ _Understood._ ]

The heavy double metal door opened slowly and Madre expressed her amazement. "Wow... How big it is."

"You haven't been here in a long time," Invader told her.

"Yes." The redhead nodded. "You're still preparin' this area. I nevah imagined that in one day in my life I would be facing somethin' that can reach space."

Generalíssima looked at Matryoshka, the masked girl kept silent.

Inquisitor entered the silo, followed by the others, and looked at the stopped machines. "So you're indeed not spending magic, Nano."

"As I was asked," the child replied in a tone of disappointment.

"As soon as we find the seeds, you can resume what you're doing." The man did not look at Nano, his attention occupied with assessing the area. "We have a lot of work ahead."

The double door was almost closing when Lucky and Revenant rushed in. The bunny girl checked if she still had her fluffy tail. "Phew..."

The black woman looked at the rocket. "This place will be a hell ta do this search."

"I thought you had orders to keep an eye on me," Matryoshka finally, and calmly, spoke.

"Ya bet I'll do it," Revenant said, without hiding her grudge.

Lucky pointed up. "Hey, wouldn't it be possible for the thief ta escape ovah theah?"

Everyone looked up, where the silo's closed lid was.

Invader was the first to say, "If anyone had managed to open that, they would have received millions of gallons of water from the lake. Even if that person had avoided being crushed, that floor would be flooded."

Followed by Nano. "Yeah, that's why this silo has an elevator to leave it at the surface, but I didn't build it to be subtle. If someone had activated it, the entire base would have vibrated with the noise."

Inquisitor nodded and exchanged looks with Generalíssima. "Well, let's get started."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Back at the intersection of corridors, with the ramp leading to the exit, the Sisterhood and Matryoshka argued about what they had found.

"Nothin'." Lucky was crestfallen, her hand on her stomach. "We didn't find anythin' 'n I'm still hungry."

Inquisitor said, "As Nano said, this is going to take days."

Revenant folded her arms. "But we already searched the bloody whole area."

"A superficial search," Inquisitor retorted, "there are still the tanks and, perhaps, we'll have to dismantle the rocket to see inside each piece."

Generalíssima stared at him, her eyes wide and threatening. "You can't be serious..."

"The tanks contain the rocket fuel at very high pressure!" Nano was flabbergasted. "T-This is impossible!"

Matryoshka nodded. "I think you're rushing with this drastic attitude. Aren't there other places to look?"

"Hmmm..." Inquisitor scratched his beard. "We can look in each sister's room."

"Haha! The thief wouldn't be so dumb," Lucky said," if we find the seeds, we'll already know who the culprit is."

"Not true," Invader spoke, "the thief may have hidden the seeds in someone else's room with the intention of incriminating them and avoiding suspicions."

"Oh yeah..." Lucky looked down and pulled one of her long ears. "I hadn't thought of that."

"It's 'cause ya don't think," Revenant said.

"We'll only do this aftah we have eaten," Madre recommended, "we're tired. So it's difficult to focus on the search."

"Let's do this." Inquisitor went to the staircase that led to the upper floor. "So we can take the opportunity to look in the refectory and the kitchen."

Madre shook her head and sighed in dismay. She and the others started to climb up the stairs.

However, when Invader looked at Generalíssima, she saw that she had not moved, so she did the same.

Already climbing the staircase, Nano stopped and looked back.

Invader smiled slightly.

Nano exchanged glances with her and Generalíssima, frowned a little, but returned to climb.

With no one else in sight, the dark-pink-haired woman started walking down the corridor.

Invader took the hint and followed her.

Soon Generalíssima stopped and turned around, giving the signal to the other girl to face her.

Invader hesitated, because she felt a sense of danger. Even so, she obeyed, as it was not prudent to go against her leader for something she did not know what it was.

Generalíssima put her hand in her pants pocket and then handed the object to the blue ballerina.

Invader felt the cold touch of the metallic details of a grief seed.

"Deliver this to Nano as soon as possible, be discreet," Generalíssima said, "see what she can do with it."

The seed was heavy, it was one of the three that was left. Invader chose the words carefully, "But... this is for us and the novic-"

"Novices are not a priority."

She gaped, but those dark pink eyes made it clear that it was not open for discussion.

"If they don't know, it won't be a problem."

Invader closed the palm of the hand that held the seed and brought it close to her chest. "It will be done."

"This isn't an easy decision." Generalíssima looked away. "But few understand the importance of this project and Nano needs the seeds to complete it as soon as possible."

Nearby, where the corridor made a curve, a blonde girl had her back against the wall. She held her breath, while her entire body shook.

Tears and teeth stamped her sadness and fury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Fata Morgana


	7. Fata Morgana

I touch the window glass and feel the warmth at my fingertips. It is always sunny outside.

There are people smiling on the other side. They are beautiful when they smile, always. Some are walking with their animals. I could have a pet, could I not? Nah... I would just be torturing it.

Look... I remember this girl, she studied with me at school. She is walking hand in hand with this boy... He seems to be older, have they ever had sex? I will be so angry if I ever see her with a belly.

My eyes are tired, but the window is always open.

Anna? Is that Anna? It has been so long since I saw her, she changed her hair. I remember that day at the amusement park, when I felt that our friendship would end. A tattoo? I do not remember her having one. She has nice friends now, while my life goes around in smaller and smaller circles...

The neighbor will travel, with the whole family together, all happy. It looks like they are going to the beach. Meh... I do not even like the beach. My body is all ungainly and pale, I was known at school as 'sausage'. I only feel shame and the sun burns, it sucks.

I hear sounds behind the door. Is it my mother? Yeah... By the weight of her steps, I know it is her. If I smell food... I hope she did not put it at the door. Why does not she give up? Does she think this will change anything? School is over, my life is over. The world has already judged me, I can only look at it through the window.

The other neighbor's daughter is pregnant, she has a husband. It will be a girl... They are so happy, I will pray that they bring a human to the world, not someone like the sausage here, but how old is she compared to me? About six years? About two thousand one hundred and ninety days? Ah, there are leap years. She is so fulfilled, look at how they exchange looks. It is so beautiful when you are not on that side.

Die, but really die, to be before I was alive, but I am aware that it will not be so. I accept that it is my fault, I could have thought differently, made different choices. I...

I am aware of my purpose. I now know, I am at peace, I look at the window and I am at peace with what will happen. I can do infinite kindnesses, serve others with all humility, when I die I will go to hell. Guaranteed, written in the stars.

But not only that!

Murderers? Genocides? Rapists? All forgiven. While I am falling, I will see even the devil ascend to heaven.

It is and it will be my fault, all faults will be mine.

No, it will not be like Jesus. I will not be adored for this 'sacrifice'. I am more like a trash can. While I am agonizing in the fire, I will see everyone in paradise making fun of me and laughing. It is almost like now, in my room looking at the window, but it is more explicit.

God. Gods. Demiurge. Darwin. Big Bang. Whatever. I was created so that others could feel better. You know, someone has to be in the last place.

I am at peace with my existence, but there is something that bothers me. A selfishness... I am a horrible person and I am starting to like it. Before going to hell, I would like to feel the sun, to have those smiles. I do not know what life is like for these people beyond what the window shows, but those moments that I can see would be enough.

Like a mirage in the desert, I will live the mirage.

* * *

**Fata Morgana**

The lights in the corridor lit up, announcing someone was passing through it.

Madre did not find that strange at that time of day. With the rationing of the seeds, everyone avoided physical effort. If it were not for looking for the stolen seeds, time should be devoted to rest.

There were exceptions.

She heard short sounds of impact. Like a whip, but shorter. It was a sound she had not heard in a long time and she did not expect to hear it anymore.

The sound came from Inquisitor's room. Intrigued, Madre approached the metal door and placed her ear close to the surface to confirm what she was hearing.

Suddenly, the impact sounds stopped, followed by the man's voice, "I know someone is there. Please, come in."

It sounded more like an order. With wide eyes, Madre activated the electronic panel, discovering that the door was unlocked.

In Inquisitor's room there was nothing on the walls but a modest cross above the concrete bed. There were many stacks of papers and books, some of the stacks were the support of a metal plate, improvising the function of a desk. There were two plastic chairs, one with another stack of documents and the other the man was using. He expressed surprise when he saw who had entered and quickly got up to take the pile off the other chair. "Oh please, have a seat."

His voice was no longer stern, but Madre obeyed without hesitation. Looking at him the entire time as she sat, she asked, "How did ya know?"

"I felt the steps." He sat down again. "And many times it happened, but I ignored it. Now that the seeds have been stolen, I... I couldn't do that anymore. Sorry, was it you the other times too?"

The redhead looked down. "Well, this isn't the first time. I ended up goin' too far and invaded your privacy, I beg your pardon, I won't do it anymore."

He raised his hand and shook his head. "It's okay, I'm not blaming you for anything." Then he returned his attention to what was on the desk. "Just let me finish this sheet."

Madre watched the man press the lever to return the typewriter cylinder and start typing, bringing that nostalgic sound. "Do you also have difficulties with computers like me?"

"No," Inquisitor replied without stopping what he was doing, his eyes fixed on the line he was writing on the paper, "this information I'll also insert in the data center, but I consider what is there as something... malleable. I like to have a guarantee."

"I understand." The woman saw that there was also a calculator and, given the large number of buttons, it must have been the most expensive item in the room. "Are you checkin' the finances?"

"I hope it's a rechecking..." Inquisitor stopped typing and removed the sheet, then shook it and blew on the surface. He spent a few moments looking at the document in his hands and left it on one of the nearby stacks. He then lowered his head and sighed.

Madre left her hands clasped on her lap, waiting in silence.

He opened his mouth, revealing his gritted teeth, and took a deep breath before saying, shaking his head, "We look in each sister's room. In the gym, in the training room, in the bathrooms, in every locker, even in the novices' beds and nothing was found. The camera images have been revised and there is nothing new, nor did we find a suspicious movement of someone trying to hide something. Simply nothing..."

The woman agreed, "You said it was planned. Whoevah did this should be hoping that we wouldn't find the seeds easily."

"But the most important question is why?" Inquisitor looked at her. "What's the motivation?"

Madre looked away for a moment. "Maybe the person wants to promote chaos to find an opportunity to get away with all the seeds for themselves."

"And where to go? We're in a world crisis. Outside is infested with these new witches that we don't know how to deal with. Having a lot of seeds will not save you from an ambush."

She shrugged. "Perhaps it's despair."

"I don't know..." He lowered his gaze and scratched his beard. "I think we missed something..."

With all that speculation, Madre asked, "Do you still intend to search the silo again? Have you talked to Generalíssima?"

Inquisitor turned his face away.

Still, Madre could see his expression of discomfort.

Then he smiled. "Do you know what is most difficult in a conflict?"

She frowned and replied, "To know how-"

"To know how many sides it has." The man nodded and returned to look at her, smiling more. "I wanted to talk with you, I would prefer it to be in a better context, but..."

Madre raised her eyebrows. "Really...?"

Inquisitor nodded again. "I read your profile while still in Europe, Steel Saint."

Madre gaped and then smiled, hiding her face with her hands. "Oh my God... That awful name. When I became a sistah, I didn't know which name to choose. The others suggested this name to me because it's 'strong'." She dropped her hands. "Fortunately, you can change it later."

"You were the first magical girl in the country to be part of the Sisterhood. For decades, your leadership has been vital to establishing our presence here."

She stopped smiling, shaking her head. "I'm not a leader. I only believe in the values of the Sisterhood and I wanted to save others like me."

"And you did." He continued to smile. "Thanks to your experience."

Once again, she shook her head. "My experience is limited."

Inquisitor leaned back in his chair. "In Souls' Sisterhood, you're the oldest magical girl by far."

She looked at the typewriter. "It just means a lot of obsolete knowledge."

"It seems that this knowledge helped you to stay alive for decades before joining us." He adjusted the belt that crossed his torso. "When, in most cases, the life span of a magical girl is counted in months."

She stated, "If I'm alive, it's because of the death of these girls."

And he raised his voice, "Life feeds on death, that was never a sin."

Madre narrowed her eyes. "What do you have against Generalíssima?"

The man froze for a moment, only his eyebrows almost furrowed, but then he exhaled and looked down. "I have nothing against her, just what she stands for."

The woman continued to inquire, "Is it about the Bastion of New Orleans?"

He looked back at her, promptly asking, "What do you know about the Bastion of New Orleans?"

"It was a great battle to stop the path of destruction of a powerful witch," she said, "there were many losses, the city was flooded and destroyed, but in the end the victory was achieved, in part by the courageous and decisive attitude of Generalíssima."

Inquisitor crossed his arms. "The Bastion of New Orleans was the greatest defeat for Souls' Sisterhood, painted as a victory. Those who believed in the Sisterhood's absolute strength, had their vision shattered that day."

Madre held her breath for a moment and then commented, "I believe, officially, I didn't hear that."

"See?" He smiled. "Wisdom is never obsolete."

She sighed, with a sad expression, before asking, "Were you-"

"No." He exhaled. "I was still in training in Europe at the time. However, my position allowed me access to privileged information, information that is kept in one place only." He poked his forehead. "It all started when sisters in Bahamas sent an alert for a possible omicron class riding the storm that was heading towards US. When they categorized the hurricane as Katrina, it was natural to give the witch the same name. However, this was only done officially when it was confirmed to exist, when the hurricane passed through Florida. The sisters who were there did not intercept the witch, they saw that they would have no chance even to reach her."

"There's a part of this story that I don't understand," Madre spoke, "sisters came from various parts of the United States to Louisiana's coast, includin' from distant places, but Matriarch was unable to arrive in time to lead the defense."

"Ah... So you know more than you told me." He raised his finger. "First you need to be aware that the witch and the storm are different things in this case, it's not like Walpurgisnatch. The standard procedure when an omicron class reaches North American soil is to form a defensive line in Yellowstone as soon as possible. A witch of this magnitude in Yellowstone super volcano is a potential extinction level event for humanity." Inquisitor paused to emphasize what he had just said. "Who is in charge of leading this line is Sunbird, but Matriarch participated in the organization before proceeding to Louisiana."

Madre lowered her head, pensive. "If Matriarch had arrived, do ya think the outcome would be different?"

"It's hard to say..." Inquisitor pulled a portion of his beard to the point of feeling pain. "The group in New Orleans correctly predicted that Katrina would attack the levees and flood the city if she came close. So they made an independent decision to intercept her over the Gulf of Mexico.

"A suicide assault."

"It was an immeasurable risk, the force of the wind could take away your gem, that was a death sentence, your body would fall into the sea never to be found." He shook his head. "But I don't believe they thought about suicide, they must have thought the group was large enough to defeat the witch quickly before the storm took their lives." Then he sighed, closing his eyes. "Seventy-eight sisters... Huntress of Seattle, Huntress of Amarillo, Red Baroness, Dragoneer, Smartass, Gatita, Warwind, Sweet Lil'Gummy... So many names to remember."

Madre raised her eyebrows. "And Generalíssima?"

"Generalíssima ... Ah." He opened his eyes, smiling slightly. "Did you know that at that time she had another sister's name?"

"She changed like me?" Madre returned the smile. "No, I didn't know."

"Generalíssima was in New Orleans when the group left to intercept the witch," Inquisitor continued, "despite being a veteran sister, she never demonstrated destructive combat skills, she was always allocated to support and logistics. She and other sisters, and some novices, had occupied a shed to serve as an advanced base and infirmary. They were supposed to report Washington frequently about the situation. When they heard the alarms go off, announcing that the levees had collapsed, they were sure that the attack group had failed. While they're preparing to retreat, Generalíssima had said that she had located the witch, nobody understood, but they saw her run outside and disappear in the storm." He looked right into his listener's eyes. "The story from here is nebulous. Some said they saw nothing, others said they saw an intense flash of pink light in the clouds, like thunder, but all confirmed that they no longer felt the witch, at first they believed that she had moved away from the city. However, when they reached a safe spot, Generalíssima reappeared with a seed."

Madre nodded. "I know there were no witnesses, but has that not been confirmed? I heard that the witch in the seed was reborn in a controlled environment and proved to be very powerful. Generalíssima fought against her again, alone, and managed to defeat her. She herself would have said she was surprised the first time, because it was a powah she didn't know she had."

"That's the story..." Inquisitor raised his eyebrows. "But what is the guarantee that the seed is from Katrina? No one alive would have seen the witch besides Generalíssima herself. It's more plausible that the group that attacked Katrina, although no one survived the storm, was successful in its goal. She must have been badly damaged or dying. Generalíssima probably didn't have to do anything." He turned, with an expression of disgust. "I don't need to discuss this, Generalíssima is a FRAUD, have no doubts, sister. They needed a symbol of victory, they needed a heroine..."

"Who?"

"Washington." He checked the cross under his belt with his fingertips, feeling the details of the silvery object. "The New Orleans massacre caused a political turmoil. There was a great deal of pressure, since Souls' Sisterhood began to have diplomatic relations with the still unknown Motherland Union. It was agreed that the Sisterhood needed to show strength and it was made an ostentatious propaganda about the feats of Generalíssima. Meanwhile, the sacrifice made by those sisters to try to save a city has become a footnote, at most an example of a bad decision." He held the head of the cross in a grip that made his hand tremble.

Madre noticed that. "And did Matriarch approve of that?"

"She... In the face of tragedy, she didn't have the power to change that."

It was the first time she had seen him with a grieving face. "Do you know her well?"

"And you don't?" Inquisitor looked at her again. "She came in person to recruit you."

"I was surprised." Madre made a quick and short lived smile. "We had a good conversation, she told me many stories of the foundation of the Sisterhood, and she treated me well. Howevah, I believe she did it because I would be the first member in that country."

"No... The Matriarch you met is exactly as she is." Inquisitor looked at a distant point in his memories. "I was just a novice when I first crossed paths with her and she came to talk to me. I thought I got her attention for being male, but in fact she saw the same countenance in me as there are in so many new magical girls. Like others who made contract with Incubator, my dreams were lost forever. I joined the Sisterhood to survive, but I had no perspective to live. Matriarch did not give me a vision, nor did she imput me a purpose, but she filled me with hope."

Madre closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"She has so many stories, doesn't she? I heard them together with the other novices when she visited us, and often. It was not just stories of magical girls, but of people, and what Matriarch did for them, and where they are now." A slow, natural smile formed on Inquisitor's mouth, his eyes watered. "She had... She has this energy when she sees the opportunity to be able to help. She's willing to make small daily sacrifices and you don't understand this at first, because she has so many followers, it would be enough to delegate this to someone. When you understand... You start to believe in kindness. Do kindness without fear of being considered a fool, weak, without fear that someone will take advantage of you. Take risks to make problems into opportunities, persevere so that solutions become a network of favors, this is the basis of the Sisterhood. She's the embodiment of that."

"You know her very well." Madre smiled with some hesitation. "So, about Generalíssima, I lived with the person behind the myth longer than you. She may not be a 'world savior', but she works hard as a leader. She's still young, driven by ambitions, but she learns fast and knows how to balance responsibilities. Give her a little credit, please."

"Ambitions? Hmmm?" Inquisitor continued to smile, but his eyes became narrower. "I know her ambitions. She used her fame very well to gain political influence for the Sisterhood to approve this rocket project. The most impressive thing is that has become our best diplomatic rapprochement with the Union. Generalíssima has always been very present in this project since its conception, almost as an obsession, it's natural that she shows some resistance to stop it now that it's at the conclusion." He stretched and tried to relax his body in his chair. "That's why I have nothing against her as a person. She knows she's a fraud and wants to leave that behind, with her becoming the vanguard of a new era. I understand it, after all I also have my ambitions."

"Oh?"

"You're the only person here who can understand." Inquisitor intertwined the fingers of his hands over his belly. "What do you think about the soul gems? Are they proof of the existence of God?"

"I didn't think much," she replied, "I don't need any more evidence to have faith in Him."

"Indeed..." The man became more serious again. "Unfortunately, for many this is not enough. They feel lost, they look for other gods. Nowadays, there is a god called science, with his priests, rituals, scriptures... In fact, it's an old god, but its adepts have grown and become arrogant."

Madre frowned and opened her mouth to say something. A disturbing idea had already formed in her mind, but she chose to be cautious. "What are ya gettin' at?"

"They have built a throne above the firmament, and are already claiming that God does not exist. At the same time, they say that we can only see and feel five percent of the universe. This is not even heresy, just absolute madness." Inquisitor lowered his gaze and nodded. "Yes, we live in sad, meaningless times. Their god sees us as mere bags of chemicals struggling against entropy. Even if magical girls succeed in protecting the world, we'll lose humanity to Incubators. We must and we can change that destiny."

She swallowed hard with the confirmation of her fears. "You... You intend to use the magical girls to form a new religion."

"No, it's to save ours," he said firmly, "the Sisterhood would be the platform we would use to spread our preaching."

"Does this mean that the Sisterhood and magical girls would be revealed to the public?"

"The Sisterhood was already planning to do that, when its political ramifications become more mature." He stopped for a moment, looking at Madre, waiting for a new question that did not come. "Imagine if we deliver a soul gem for a team of scientists to analyze? How will the faithful of science react when their god cannot give an answer?"

Madre raised her eyebrows. "About an object given to us by an alien race?"

Surprised, Inquisitor smiled broadly and shook his head. "The souls are ours. And we can omit the existence of Incubators, they like discretion." He gestured, lifting his finger. "Moses, Jesus... There're many moments in the Bible where miracles occur to convince people that they're on the wrong path. Even today they occur, here and there, but it's not being enough."

With a tense voice, the woman affirmed, "Don't mistake our magic for miracles."

"They come from our souls, creations of our Father."

"No," Madre pressed her lips before continuing, without blinking, "miracles come from God, and from Him alone, His children are His instruments of His works. What comes from our souls is the fruit of our desires, tainted by our sins."

Inquisitor held his chin and looked away.

Madre kept staring at him.

"That's why I need you. I want to do a good thing, a right thing..." He got up from the chair. "But we have other priorities."

She did not know how to react, but when she saw him headed for the exit, Madre got up too.

He finally looked back at the woman, with a smile. "After all, it's lunchtime, isn't it?"

Madre gaped. "Oh..." Then she looked down, confused. "I completely lost track of time."

In the corridor, Inquisitor asked, "Do you know that Generalíssima is in possession of the seeds that we still have?"

"She told me," Madre replied, soon becoming concerned, "is there a problem?"

The man shook his head and said without looking at her, already leading the way to the stairs, "It's something I can check later."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Sitting on the side of her bed, Maya was examining her soul gem. The dark blue color, almost black, contrasted with the golden base of the egg-shaped jewel. Breathing was costly, she did not know if it was a trace of Evie's poison or just anxiety. Anxiety for agony.

She was not ready.

_If I hadn't been here, it wouldn't have happened._

"Maya."

Recognizing the voice, she opened her eyes wide and turned her gem back into a ring. Then she restored her countenance, concealed her breath and looked at the person standing nearby.

Alice had a tired face, with little movement beyond her mouth, "Yah gem is dark..."

"The color of my gem is darkah than yours." Maya smiled, but soon became serious when she changed the subject. "Where're ya this time? Since rationin' started, ya've been leavin' without tellin' me. What's happenin'?"

The blonde averted her gaze. "I dunno. I didn't think ya would bother, I think... I felt like ya wanted me away."

Maya opened her mouth, but the shock robbed her of what she thought to say. What Alice said, how she said, that was not the friend she knew.

"Didya notice this place is full of security cameras?"

Alice had returned to exchange glances and Maya regained her attention. "N-No... Why?"

The blonde grumbled, "How did they come up with the bullshit that they didn't find out who did it, huh?"

That was the friend she knew and the roots of despair squeezed Maya's heart more. "T-They must be investigatin'." She stood up and took a deep breath. "We're not gonna talk about this anymore, okay? A sistah came heah a little while ago ta say that lunch is ready, so let's go."

Still lying on the bed, Evie watched the two girls go towards the tunnel with the other novices.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Alice raised her spoon to measure the watery consistency of the porridge and then turned her attention to the refectory. With the rationing, some things have changed, like the fact that the sisters have lunch at the same time as the novices, including the child with the futuristic glove.

"It's noice that they gave us these chocolate gummies, right?"

Maya smiled while making that silly comment, but the gem... The gem did not lie. Alice knew that her great friend was sacrificing so much, she felt it, it was something that could not happen. She needed to find out something.

The child was the first to leave the table, a tender smile, a waving hand. She headed for the exit.

"Didn't ya like the porridge?"

Maya was worried now, it was something that could not happen. Alice rose. "I'm not very hungry." And she got some chocolate gummies before she left. "You can eat my portion."

She walked alone through the tunnel. It had become a habit and the curves did not scare her anymore. Still, her heart was pounding, hurried steps to the stairs.

The descent was cautious at each step, until the exit to the intersection of corridors. Close to the wall, Alice waited.

Steps, a small shadow. As usual, the child had visited what would be the security room before continuing down the other stairs. Alice clenched her fist and let herself be enveloped by her own magic to acquire her magical girl uniform. She needed to be quick.

That was why everything was prepared.

In different places, close to the cables on the ceiling, small floating saw disks began their silent work before evaporating into a fine yellow dust.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Invader still had a slight smile at the recent visit when the first screen went out. Before she could think about what happened, all the screens had gone black.

Darkness hid her face, but there was certainly no more smile to hide.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Alice went to the other staircase, struggling to maintain the delicate balance between speed and silence. Fortunately, the child was in no hurry. She was still typing the code on the door when Alice reached the end of the descent. The door opened and the child went through it.

There were only a couple of seconds.

The blonde jumped the last flight of stairs and entered before the metal door closed automatically. She almost fell down the short staircase beyond the door, but managed to hold on to the wall. The relief was short-lived, as she saw that there was an electronic panel on that side of the door as well.

_Fuck!_

Both to enter and to leave, it was necessary to know the code. There was no turning back. However, turning back meant ignoring the truth and watching her friend suffer. She was determined to go as far as she could.

She went down the stairs and into another tunnel, a long corridor with two possible directions. The child was in one of them, already distant. On the wall were three stripes painted in different colors, but what caught Alice's attention the most was what was written on the dark blue stripe.

"Silo?"

She imagined a storage full of grief seeds, now reserved only for the sisters, especially for the person she was following. Alice needed to keep a distance from the child, as there was nowhere to hide now.

As she walked, the child examined her gauntlet.

 _That must be part of her magical girl uniform._ Alice thought. _Is that where her gem is...?_

In that long tunnel, in the depths of nowhere, with the ventilation system covering the cautious steps, an idea as natural as it was sordid emerged, based on everything the novice had learned in those harrowing weeks.

_If there was no such child, they would have no reason to deny us seeds._

The gauntlet was connected to the child's neck by wires, so that should be the best place to saw first, then it would be to search for the gem and destroy it. Alice opened her left hand with the bracelet. If Lucky was right, she would be able to summon a saw disk near the target, so as not to allow any reaction.

_Have ya evah killed a magical girl?_

Evie's pale, disgusting image came to Alice's mind, yet she faltered. She did not want to admit it, but the bastard was right.

_There will be blood on my hands._

She was just a girl who wanted to help her dad, why had it come to this? Something inside her started to bring courage back, she had the answer to that question.

_I will do this for Maya._

"NANO!"

Alice was as static as a stone, it was a man's voice.

"Huh?" The child turned, surprised. "Inquisitor?"

Alice exchanged looks with the man who stopped beside her. He did not look angry, not yet.

"I want to talk to you..." Inquisitor said to Nano, "why is this girl with you?"

Nano frowned. "Isn't she with you?"

His gaze grew more intense, Alice gulped. The man approached, forcing her to step back against the wall. His hand rested on the cross with sharp edges under the belt.

"You're a novice," Inquisitor said in a calm, controlled voice, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm investigatin'," Alice replied quickly and aggressively, hoping it was convincing too.

"Investigating?" The man raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, y'all haven't found those bloody seeds yet, so I decided ta do this on my own!" The blonde put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

Inquisitor maintained his posture and voice, "If you wanted to volunteer, you should have asked to a sister."

"What if she's the person who stole the seeds?" Alice shrugged. "Who can I trust?"

Inquisitor remained silent, his eyes still, but slight movements of the muscles denounced the tension.

The muscles in Alice's body were all stiff, breathing was minimal. She prayed that she was not shaking, decided to look at the child to see if this act could bring some relief.

Nano looked alternately at the other two, more concerned than anything else.

Inquisitor's gaze narrowed for a moment before saying, "The point is that you're investigating in an area where novices aren't allowed in."

"It isn't?!" Alice's eyes widened, pretending to be surprised, she was already expecting this question and she already had an excuse for it. "But I saw this child goin' through that door, I just did the same and the door closed behind me. How would I know?"

Nano smiled. "Ah, this isn't the first time that I'm mistaken for a novice." She then said to the man, "It's okay, it's only a misunderstanding."

"No," Inquisitor's voice was cold, "she's lying."

Alice felt her insides twist in terror.

"The door closes in five seconds after opening," he explained as he continued to stare at the novice, "she would have to be close to get in after you, so she saw you typing the code on the panel and she's too smart not to know that going through a door without knowing the code, or without being invited, is not allowed."

Alice did not find an answer for that, not for the brief moment she had without looking like she was making something up on the spot. Escape was impossible, fighting was an even more ridiculous idea, two against one and that man seemed ready for anything. Then, they could go after Maya too.

The man turned his face in a confused expression.

Alice blinked, not understanding that reaction.

He looked at the child.

Nano was surprised, her eyes wide. "Invader... she..."

"Come on!"

Alice saw both run off through the tunnel, back to the staircase. Her legs went shaky when her muscles relaxed and she hugged her belly. If she had eaten something, she was sure she would have puked.

_What was this?_

She looked up at the ceiling, seeing a security camera. Of course, there was not much time, there was only one last hope.

_We have to get out of here._

Then her eyes widened, in a terrible epiphany. "No... no!" And she started running as fast as she could.

"Nahnahnahnononono..."

When she arrived, her fears were confirmed, the metal door was closed. She climbed up the small staircase and put her hands on the cold surface of the door to push, a vain attempt. "No, fack, no..." She typed in the panel randomly, but without hope.

Alice stepped back and took a deep breath while thinking about Maya. "I'm a fuckin' magical girl. I'll make it!" Her gem shone and she gave a powerful kick. There was a loud noise from the impact, but the door did not budge. She gave more kicks, but only managed to make more noise.

"C'mon!"

Using her shoulder, she rammed her body against the door. "Ouchie!" The shoulder was sore and the door resisted, not even a dent. "Whatta heck is this door made of?!" She held out her right arm. "Fuck it, I'm gonna saw this shit."

A gloved hand typed the panel.

When Alice realized, the door opened. She turned and saw a mask and tubes. She gaped, not knowing how to react to that strange fellow in a coat.

The person extended their arm quickly.

"Ah!" The blonde novice had a startle, but she soon noticed that the person was holding the door so it would not close, as well as the flag sewn on their coat. "Y-Ya're Russian, dya understand what I say?"

Behind the mask, only silence.

"T-Thanks!" Alice left and ran up the stairs.

Matryoshka also went through the door and stopped. She looked up at the spiral staircase as she heard the rushing footsteps becoming distant. She put her hands in her pocket almost at the same time the door closed. "Прощай, потерянный ребенок."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Inquisitor and Nano arrived in the security room, where Generalíssima and Madre were already present, plus Invader in the chair, who looked devastated.

The man immediately asked, "What's so urgent?"

"The cameras have been disabled," Generalíssima said.

"Huh?" Nano noticed that the images on the screens were static, indicating that they were just paused recordings.

The door opened again, entering Revenant and Lucky. The black woman announced, "The cables weah cut at fahkin' multiple points."

"And no one noticed the traitor doing that?" Inquisitor looked at Generalíssima. "The seeds?"

"Safe..." The woman glanced quickly at the child.

Nano pressed her lips together, acknowledging she should be quiet.

"So they must have done this to try to escape," the man deduced.

"If they tried, they failed," Revenant stated, "I went up the rehmp 'n checked the exit. It's closed."

"There's anothah possibility," Lucky said, with a smile and raising her eyebrows, "can I tell?"

Generalíssima exhaled. "Go on..."

"As soon as I saw the cuts in the cables, I thought: Invadah may have done this, so she woulda a lot of time ta go wheah she hid the seeds 'nd take them ta hide them in a place wheah we already searched . Then she would come back heah 'nd warn us." Lucky poked her own head. "It's a stroke of a genius, the lil'bunny heah is smart."

The Asian girl jumped out of her chair, outraged. "I didn't do it!"

"Hey! Hey! HEY!" Generalíssima raised her hand. "Before starting to point fingers to each other, I want to know if anyone else has seen anything out of the ordinary."

"Matryoshka isn't heah," Madre said, "does that count?"

"Invadah must not have called her, again," Revenant commented.

The girl with the long sleeves replied, "No, I did that."

"Damn!" Lucky made a face. "Then she can be preparin' ta blow up the exit while we're heah."

Revenant turned to her and raised her voice. "Drongo, if she does that, Generalíssima catches her befawre she can get out of the cave!"

Invader said, "I checked the recent recordings and Matryoshka had not left her room before the cameras were disabled. They also didn't catch anyone cutting the cables."

"Just like the seeds' thief..." Inquisitor added, disgruntled.

"Okay, we'll be looking for Matryoshka, even if she responds to our telepathic messages." Generalíssima nodded. "Anything else?"

The man said, "There's a novice on the bottom floor."

Generalíssima furrowed her brows. "A... novice?"

"Yup." Nano lowered her gaze, realizing it. "Poor thing, she must be stuck there."

"And how did she get in?" Generalíssima asked without hiding the surprise.

"She was following Nano," Inquisitor replied, "she told me she was investigating the disappearance of the seeds on her own, but I don't believe that."

Invader approached the child, worried. "Are you all right?"

Nano noticed that not only her close friend, but the others in the room were also looking at her. "Why are you asking that?"

The dark pink haired woman asked a new and inevitable question, "Who's this novice?"

He said, "I didn't get to ask her name, but she's blonde with yellow eyes. She was wearing her magical garments, a yellow safety helmet, like the ones worn by construction site workers, a white shirt with a black stripe in the middle. There were several chains that connected the shirt with the yellow pants, I think the gem was in one of them..."

"Ah! I know who is!" Lucky opened a big smile. "It's Alice! What that blockhead doin' down there?"

"Alice?" Generalíssima's eyes narrowed as she scratched her forehead. "Isn't this one of the last magical girls we rescued?"

"Do you know what her magic is?" Inquisitor inquired to the bunny sister.

Lucky opened her arms. "Well, I know that she has a chainsaw. She can also create floatin' circulah saws, quite cool!"

"'Saws', you say?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other for a moment.

For the man, it was only needed to announce the agreement, "It's her."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The desperate novice arrived at the dormitory.

Maya was standing beside her bed. "Alice! I thought ya're in the bathroom, but I saw that ya weren't. A-And why are ya wearin' yah magical girl clothes?"

Evie got up from her bed when she noticed that odd scene.

"Get yah stuff, we gonna get outta of heah," the blonde said while already searching for her belongings under the bed.

Maya frowned. "Why? What happened?"

Alice turned to her and raised her voice, "Just do what I say! I'll explain latah."

"But what about that huge door?" Maya shook her head. "And outside... We don't know where ta go."

"We can find a way." Alice took her friend and brought her face close. "Ya wanna get outta heah, don't ya? Ya wanna see yah family again, right?"

The dark-skinned girl shyly nodded.

"Then do it, quickly!" Alice released her friend and returned her attention to the objects she had left on the bed. There was not much, as a good portion of her personal belongings had been confiscated.

_Shit, what did I do?_

There were no resources, there was no plan, there was no choice now. She held her hands tightly so they would stop shaking. She remembered her friend's dark gem and she had been harsh to her. Despair was what they least needed now.

_Best friend..._

Alice took a deep breath and felt ready. It was time to win freedom. She turned around, making sure her voice was calm enough, "Maya..."

Maya was not there.

"Maya?" Alice looked under her friend's bed to see if she was there, but she was not. Then she noticed a silence, a strange silence, and looked around.

There was no one in the dormitory.

"The fuck?" With a sinking heart, Alice ran to the bathroom. "Maya!" However, there was no one, the sound of the drops falling from the showers was almost painful.

"MAYA!" Alice returned to the empty dormitory and looked around to find any evidence of what was going on. [ _MAAAAYAAAAA!_ ] Not having other voice but her own, she clung to a shallow hope. "Has she went ta the exit already?"

Alice entered the tunnel towards the staircase. Guiding herself by the colored stripes painted on the wall, she remembered the part of the training about feeling the souls of others. She tried, but there was only emptiness.

She was going fast, and yet, she had not made it to the staircase, she had not even made it to the fork that was before that. She stopped, that was wrong, everything was wrong. Listening to her own heartbeat had become torture. Smothered by the walls, she regretted her decisions.

So a sensation, unnatural, more like a premonition coming from within. Alice wondered if what had been preached in training was working. She focused on that.

What was inside her emerged to the skin and aroused the senses. She could hear it now, but it was a faint, distant sound. She struggled to discern what it was and, then, to accept it.

There were screams and lamentations, from countless people, announcing an impending disaster. It was getting stronger, like a wave.

Behind her.

Alice turned quickly.

At a fair distance, in the tunnel, there was a woman standing, with long straight white hair. She was tall and strong, with defined muscles, but unlike Revenant, she maintained a harmonious feminine form. The skin was dark like Maya's, if not fairer, and that woman showed a lot of it, because her clothes were a pair of long strips, one white and one blue, wrapped around her body, covering only the bare minimum, with each strip spiraling in a different leg. She was barefoot and had bracelets like Revenant, but the ornaments really looked like luxurious jewels, gilded with encrusted precious stones. Not only that, she wore earrings, rings, piercings... Many shiny things to attract the eye, but nothing compared to the big black hexagonal gem on the tiara. The object did not seem to reflect the ambient light, it felt like a deep hole that projected clouds of mixed colors from time to time, a chaos that did not correspond to the person's calm pink gaze.

"Who're ya?" Alice considered whether that was a sister she had not yet seen, despite her intuition saying that person belonged somewhere else. The name she would hear could solve that.

The woman remained silent, still.

Alice's heart started beating fast again. "I asked ya a question!"

The pink eyes did not blink, the lips did not stretch in a smile, nor in a frown.

The dark gem... Everything was still wrong. Fear arose in the girl's trembling body; it was different from when she was facing the man. At that time, it was a sense of danger, now it was pure and simple, and definitive.

Suddenly the woman started to move. Even though she was walking, she approached quickly with her long legs.

Alice waited for an instant, trying to see if the woman had changed her expression. She had not changed, much to the girl's terror. It was as if she did not care, no reaction would change the outcome, no words. The girl turned and ran. Teeth gritted; muscles fueled by survival. Tears were slipping now and she still needed to save Maya, somehow...

She arrived at an intersection; one she did not recognize. With no time to waste, she looked at the stripes on the wall.

They were all red.

"What?!" She touched one of the stripes, not believing what she was seeing, and she felt that her fingertips had become wet. She looked at them and she realized that the red was not ink. They were slowly dripping from the stripes to the floor.

She turned and she did not see her pursuer, the tunnel was empty. The problem is that she was no longer sure that she had come through that tunnel, she was no longer sure of anything.

She checked other tunnel of the intersection, empty.

And checked on another, a tranquil face, a black gem above it, both within arm's reach.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" Alice gathered all the strength and magic to run. Forward! Forward! Away from the everlasting fate.

The tunnel she chose had an end. Finally, a room.

It was the refectory.

"Damnit..." The girl went to the middle of the room to confirm that there was no one there. The girl also looked for somewhere to hide, but she saw that the woman was already at the tunnel's entrance.

The woman was standing, she did not need to be in a hurry anymore, because that was the only exit.

Alice had stopped crying some time ago, that was useless. "Ya're one of those new witches, right? What didya do with everyone? WHERE'S MAYA?"

The woman started walking.

The girl opened her eyes wide and retreated. She opened her left hand and conjured a saw disk. "S-STOP!" She did not wait and threw her weapon.

The disk flew gracefully, making a slight curve in the air, until it hit and stuck in the right side of the woman's chest. The white strip was cut and fell, exposing the wounded breast, yet the woman continued walking at the same pace, carrying the same expression on her face.

Alice gaped and made a quick gesture.

The circular saw started to spin, going deeper into its victim's torso. The blood spread in jets, splashing on the body, on the woman's face, and around where she was passing by.

To Alice's dismay, it did not stop the woman... Was she smiling? The girl forcibly closed her eyes, something had hit them. The sound of flesh and bones being cut had suddenly grown louder, there was a taste of blood on her lips. Cleaning and protecting with her arm, she reopened her eyes and her field of vision only contained the saw almost completely buried in that tall, dark-skinned body.

The woman was standing right in front of her.

Without understanding how she was already there, Alice instinctively took a step back, but felt a hand behind her head, holding tight. She understood the intent in an instant and she would need another instant to scream, but it never came.

The woman pulled the girl's head against a saw on her chest. The serrated blade left the flesh where it was, effortlessly cutting through the blonde's helmet and skull. The disk went through the head swiftly, until it cut the woman's hand that was behind in half and bounced away on the floor.

Alice collapsed and when her head hit the hard concrete, it split in two, forming a wide fan of blood and brain matter, soon covered by a thick, round crimson puddle.

Unmoved, the woman examined her fingerless hand. Little blood was escaping, as there was no more blood to escape, her skin was pale, her lips were grayish. With the other hand, she found that there were splinters of bones stuck to her neck. She looked back at the person lying on the floor.

Alice's disfigured face was with her tongue sticking out, her neck muscles were moving, and her chest was puffing with tremendous effort.

The woman bent down, more interested in picking up the object in the girl's belly. A burnt caramel gem, already quite dark. She took the gem and brought it to the one in her tiara. The caramel stone turned to liquid, quickly absorbed by the gem in the tiara. This gem then acquired an intense brown tone, followed by pink and then the bizarre veil of darkness covered everything.

The girl stopped moving completely and started to become transparent, as well as the pool of blood.

The woman waited until there was not a trace of that body left. However, there was still a lot of blood from herself, and bits and pieces... There was still cleaning to be done.

She extended her cut hand and the part that was on the floor, along with her fingers, flew to fit the wound. Her skin quickly closed, leaving no scar at all. With the other arm extended, the blood that had left her body coalesced into a ball and, from it, a stream was formed, entering the wound in the chest. When all the blood came in, the wound closed seamlessly.

The woman exhaled when she felt her body warmer, when her heart began to beat again. She groped and jiggle her right breast to confirm that everything was right, then made a simple gesture with her fingertips. As if it were alive, the white stripe reconnected with the other half, returning to its function of covering that part of the body.

"ROYAL FLUSH!"

The woman turned.

There were novices at a table, playing cards. One was hugging a few piles of colored chips and bringing them closer to her. Other novices were laughing, while one clearly had the face of a loser. "It can't be, this is impossible!"

The one with the chip stacks said, "It's like Lucky said: Luck is the most powerful law in the universe!"

The woman tossed her long white hair back and headed for the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Suppression


	8. Supression

Rice in the pot? She hoped it was the right amount.

Water? The line had to be above the rice as per the instructions... and the other attempts.

The fire on the stove was high. The pot was small and the water was already boiling. She had spent a long time preparing the salad and mixing the dressing, and the day's session was almost over. Many in the collective kitchen had already finished making their recipes.

It was important to stir the rice with the spoon a little. Salt! Salt! She had almost forgotten.

This time, it would all work out.

"Homura?"

She looked at the short girl at the neighboring counter. Like her, Madoka was wearing an apron and a hairnet, which was quite voluminous. From her expression, she must have been in some kind of trouble.

"Errmm..." The pink-eyed girl gestured with her hand and spoke in a lower tone, "can you come here for a moment?"

Homura looked around, confirming that the instructor was distracted with another student, and headed to her.

Madoka bowed her head, more embarrassed. "You... Could you try my _Nikujaga_? I know the instructor said he would try it first, so it's kind of a cheat..."

"Yes, I know." Homura smiled.

With a tender smile as her reaction, Madoka used chopsticks to pick up a piece of boiled potato. She blew on the food and brought it close to the other girl's mouth. "Careful, it's hot."

Homura chomped down on the offering and chewed slowly.

Making Madoka more anxious. "How did it turn out?"

The girl with violet eyes finished swallowing and said, "It's good, it has a soft texture."

"And the taste?"

"Mild."

"Hmmm..." Madoka made a pout, not liking to hear that, "So do I need to put more seasoning?"

"I don't know." Homura turned her face to see if the instructor was still busy. "I can only give my opinion, it's fine to me."

"Huh-huh-huh-huh-huhmmmmmm..." Madoka kept poking her own tense chin, pondering, "the meat must have absorbed more of the seasoning, you should try it too, just to be sure."

Homura smiled again. "You'll want me to taste everything, won't you?"

"Wehihi!" Madoka's cheeks, which were already reddened from the heat of the kitchen, turned even redder. "I prepared enough for everyone to try, so don't worry about being the first."

Cracking sounds could be heard in the kitchen.

"What is that?" Madoka asked herself, curious.

Homura already had an idea, not a good one, of what was going on. She turned around and saw a thick column of smoke coming out of the pot, it looked like a volcano.

"Akemi-san! Isn't that your stove?"

And the instructor's voice was an omen of the inevitable.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The firmament abandoned its blue tones as the sun approached the horizon. It did not matter to Mitakihara, the city would not stop when the dark veil came, it was alive, breathing, with the scars of a cataclysm clean, if not forgotten.

For two girls, however, it was a sign that they would be late for their respective homes.

Walking down the sidewalk side by side with her colleague, Madoka asked, "The kitchen got pretty clean, didn't it? The instructor will be surprised at the result of our hard work."

"I'm the one who's surprised I wasn't suspended from the cooking club. If it weren't for the exhaust fan, everyone would be smoked." Homura looked at the pink long-haired girl. "You didn't have to help me."

Madoka raised her eyebrows. "How couldn't I? I'm the one who distracted you."

"I could have turned off the stove earlier." Homura returned to gaze ahead. "It was my responsibility."

"It's the fault of both of us." Madoka smiled. "Or did you forget that I was cheating?"

Homura did not speak, silence could be a comfortable reply, yet her hands gripped the strap of her school bag more firmly.

Madoka continued, looking more thoughtful, smoothing one of her long locks, "And even cheating... They considered that the flavor is still weak. I had cooked this recipe at home, my dad said I had put too much seasoning in it, but he's biased to speak, I think you're too."

"Huh?" Homura looked at her, now surprised.

"You got used to my dad's food, wehihi..."

Dispirited, Homura shook her head. "I can't suggest anything, I can't cook a simple dish."

Madoka frowned. "But you made the salad and the dressing."

"I just washed and chopped some vegetables, and for the dressing I only needed to mix ingredients that come ready-made from the supermarket."

"If you can eat it, it's food, and you've put in effort to prepare them." Madoka looked up at the sky, again pondering. "We just need to practice more, I'll help you, but it would be nice to meet someone with a different opinion about flavors... Hmmm..." She opened her mouth and put her hand on her forehead. "How come I didn't think of that before?"

Homura was going to ask what it was about, but she saw the other girl jump in front of her, forcing her to stop walking.

With her hands holding her school bag behind her back, Madoka projected her torso forward with a wide smile and wide eyes.

With her so close, and with that face, Homura leaned back, frowning. "What?"

Madoka announced her great epiphany, "Let's ask Mami-san to teach us something!"

Homura gaped.

And the pinkette opened her smile even wider.

Finally, Homura turned her face away. "No..."

Losing her smile, Madoka tilted her head to the side. "No?"

"We'll bother Mami-san," the long raven-haired girl closed her eyes.

"'Bother'?!" Madoka's smile soon returned. "She'll love it~!"

"She studies in Shirome now, and... and there's Ch... I mean, she's taking care of Mo-Nagisa-chan. I believe she's very busy, yes..." Homura reopened her eyes and glanced at the other person.

Madoka was staring quizzically, the smile was there too, but with an air of sassiness.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Homura questioned.

Without changing her countenance, Madoka replied, "You're afraid to show Mami-san that you're bad at kitchen, aren't you?"

Homura turned her face back to the other girl and stated, "I'm not afraid of that."

And Madoka's countenance had not changed.

Homura lowered her gaze. "Maybe... I might be worried that Mami-san will be upset."

"She won't, so it's settled!" Madoka gave a little jump of excitement and then opened her bag to grab her smartphone. "I'll call her already to ask."

With a sigh, Homura smiled slightly. With Madoka, everything was inevitable, the only way was to make the best of whatever may come. As she gazed at the other girl distracted by the device, her mind started to pay attention to the sound of the passing cars. She looked down the street and saw the movement of people. They were surrounded by buildings with few floors, some with stores on the first floor, almost a commercial area, a mere speck of dust in this city.

_My problems have become so small..._

"She didn't answer the call," Madoka said in frustration.

"Maybe Mami-san is still in Shirome. Cell phones aren't allowed there. Why don't you try writing a message?" Homura looked at the front of the building where they had stopped. Coincidentally, there was a clothing store. In the window there were many mannequins. She stared at them for a long time, but the dolls' expressions did not change, their painted eyes are harmless.

By a quirk of fate, perhaps that was why she noticed a movement. The store window mirrored the orange sky and the top of the building across the street, and from there a shadow appeared. She couldn't discern the details, but it was a person, wearing a pompous skirt and a tall hat. If anyone was near Homura at that moment, they could see the reflection in the glare of her frozen eyes.

"Ah! Nagisa-chan sent me a message. Mami-san is in the bathroom and she said she'll call me as soon as she leaves," Madoka announced in glee, but it was short-lived as she noticed the other one was distracted. "Homura?"

The girl turned quickly, a precise movement, her long black hair swayed, and with a calculated smile, she replied, "Good to know."

* * *

**Supression**

The sisters' bathroom had a shower as a background sound. Inquisitor washed his face and felt the water run down his body in a vain wish that it would take away his worries.

The loss of contact with Washington and the other cells, the theft of the seeds, the shaky mood of the members as the tension grows with the existence of a traitor.

He turned off the shower and huffed, letting out a puff of water droplets. In no hurry, he walked over to one of the cabinets and grabbed a towel to dry himself off.

The last event was that the cameras had been disabled. Nano repaired the cut cables, but nothing was discovered about who had done it, certainly the thief, let alone the purpose of it. The seeds under the guard of Generalíssima were still safe and nothing seemed out of place. What was going on?

After rubbing his hair thoroughly, Inquisitor patted his beard with the towel to absorb the dampness well.

The only certainty is that the traitor was still among them.

His line of thought was interrupted when he got the feeling that he was being watched. Without making any sudden movements, pretending to still be distracted, he turned to look at the rest of the room.

It seemed that he was alone, but his trained eyes scrutinized every detail, it was the best resource in a world of tricks and magic.

This time it was a simple trick, too simple, as he noticed a shadow with a distinctive shape being projected onto the floor. "Lucky, I can see your ear."

From behind the cabinets, a pair of long, fluffy ears emerged, followed by a freckled face. "Hihoo!" With a shy chuckle, Lucky revealed herself completely in a leap.

Inquisitor furrowed his eyebrows, for he was naked. "Why are you here? I warned you all that I would always use the bathroom at this time."

"I know." The young woman looked away and shrugged. "But I can still come in, right?"

He shook his head and sighed. "Then do what you have to do. Don't worry, I won't look." And he returned to drying himself with the towel.

"Okidokie." Lucky's attention was drawn to something that was on the bench and she went to pick it up. "Look at that..." She examined the red cloak, especially the red cross-shaped gem that was on it. "Don'tcha worry in always carryin' that with ya? I nevah take my eyes off mine."

He opened his eyes wide and said firmly, "Put it back." He also started to dry faster, because his intuition said that it was just a pretext for her to get closer.

Lucky complied, but soon she was leaning over, her eyes curious to see what was inside the open locker. There were man's things, like lotions, shaving brush and razor, there was also a small safe, simple and with some signs of rust. However, it was the lack of something that prompted her to question, "Wheah's the clothes? Don'tcha wear the uniform?"

"I only have the clothes I wore when I traveled to here," he replied as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

Lucky raised her eyebrows.

Realizing that the answer did not satisfy the question, the man added, "They're in my room."

She smiled in joyful surprise. "Ah! So ya're like me!" And her body was covered by a flash of light.

Inquisitor gulped.

The pair of rabbit ears were gone, as were all the clothes, revealing much more besides that Lucky also had freckles on her shoulders. "Those magical clothes are always comfortable, they even come with a self-cleanin' function! Why weah anythin' else, right?"

The man looked up at the ceiling. "What are you... doing?"

Putting her hands on her waist and making a face of annoyance, she said, "I allow ya ta look down heah, okay?"

Inquisitor lowered his gaze, staring into her eyes again.

"It must be hard for ya ta hafta live with so many young and beautiful gals, even though theah's no rule in the Sistahhood about relationships between members..." Lucky raised her head and used both arms to pull her hair back in one long, slow motion, stretching her body and raising her breasts. "But I'm quite frank, and I'm in the mood for some noice rootin' with ya."

He said, "I read your profile."

"Oh?" she opened an insinuating smile. "My profile~"

Inquisitor kept a neutral expression. "You put in there that you worked as a prostitute."

"Oh yeah?" Her sexy countenance changed to that of a confused child. "I didn't even remembah anymore, but it's true. In our nomadic life, my friend and I needed money."

"Couldn't you have used your luck for that?" He raised his eyebrows.

She nibbled her lips and held up her hands, admitting, "Yeah, I was a little bit curious too."

The man remained silent, with his judgmental gaze.

She continued, "It was cool. It was a woman who ran the business, so it was pretty relaxed. The customers weah polite, but mostly old men, their performance was horrible. I used ta tell my customers 'bout that, and they appreciated my frankness, see? But the woman sent me and my friend away, 'cause we would have lost some customers. Kinda stupid." Lucky moved closer, smiling, in a soft, whispery voice, "So... Since ya know that, ya don't hafta think ya'll be abusin' me, dya?" She began to play with the hair on the man's chest.

Inquisitor held his breath.

She liked that reaction, showing it with her naughty gaze. "Let's relieve this stress togethah, it'll be good for our gems, huh?"

In one swift motion, Inquisitor grabbed Lucky's wrists, dropping his towel.

The grip was somewhat painful and woman froze, but past the momentary fright, she smiled again. "Ah, ya like it rough..."

The man's visage was not sexy at all. "Do you know what 'Inquisitor' means?"

"Sure, it's kinda a badass priest." She continued, but now with a frown. "Ya're not a real priest, though, are ya?"

"It's a title," he said.

And Lucky's confusion became complete. "A title?"

"I didn't choose that name, it was bestowed upon me by Matriarch herself," he explained. "As Souls' Sisterhood expanded throughout the world, she became concerned about whether the virtues and values of its foundation would be able to be kept. I, as well as other chosen ones, received extensive training to safeguard her dream."

"Oh okay, got it..." Lucky nodded and looked down, specifically at the small, flabby part between his legs, then she looked back into his eyes, grimacing. "Are ya gay?"

Inquisitor pushed her violently.

"WOWOWOWOWOW! I HAVE NOTHIN' AGAINST GAYS!" Lucky regained her balance. "Actually, I dunno if I should say ya're gay. I heard ya weah a girl, so it's only natural that ya like men. Well, I like men, I know what I'm talkin' about." Then she rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "I just think it's weird that ya switched sex, as a girl it's easier to attract men."

He turned his face. "Go away..."

"Look!" She mimicked, closing her lips as if there was a zipper. "That secret stays between us, okay? Guaranteed." She headed for the exit. "If anyone asks, I'll tell them we had sex, but it was nothin' special. Is that good for ya?"

He glanced at her. "Lucky!"

"What?" she looked down, noticing her own nakedness. "Ah!" A light quickly enveloped her body, bringing back her bunny clothes as she used her hand to stifle a giggle. "That happens sometimes." She then waved her hand. "Sorry about anythin', but ya have a hot body. If ya look for it, ya'll find a noice bloke in no time. See ya!"

Inquisitor waited for the sister to leave the room to relax his body. His legs trembled. He sighed and hid his face with his hands.

However, the silence was genuine, as in the moments when he listened to Matriarch's stories.

When his hands opened like a curtain, his image was already firm. He turned to the cabinet and began to open the safe.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

A black essence surged from the gem to the seed. Maya felt as if a disease had left her body immediately, in a miraculous cure.

As she finished the purification, Revenant questioned the novice, "Why didn't ya warn me befawre? With yah soul gem in that state, ya weahn't gonna last anothah day."

Maya bowed her head at the sister's annoyed expression. "I... I don't know..."

Revenant took a deep breath and offered the gem, "We're doin' this rationin' ta keep everyone safe 'n sound, got it?"

Maya timidly nodded and picked up the gem, which soon became a ring on the middle finger of her left hand.

"Now go," said the strong black woman, "ya're already late fawr lunch."

Obeying the sister, Maya went to the refectory. However, her mind was elsewhere. At some point, her gem had become the reflection of a devouring emptiness. The longing for her family, for where she lived, is certainly stronger. However, she was sure that emptiness was a regret lurking in her heart, related to the moment she crossed paths with Madre. Had joining Souls' Sisterhood been the right choice? It was a decision she should not have made alone.

Before Maya knew it, she was already holding the tray with the plate of food and looking for a place to sit. As she had arrived late, she came across tables that were completely occupied, except for one where there was only one girl. She approached and sat down, making as little noise as possible so as not to disturb anyone.

"Hey."

And failed miserably, being forced to exchange glances with the other girl at the table. She was pale and thin, with purple eyes, purple hair with red tones at its ends, and an unhappy face. Maya stood up.

"Wait, why are ya leavin' the table?"

The dark-skinned girl was surprised by the question.

"Sit down."

Maya complied with the request, doing so in one slow motion.

"Ya're the newcomer," the pale girl spoke, "what's yah name?"

"Maya, and you are..."

"Evie."

She smiled and nodded. "Nice ta meet ya, Evie."

The other girl did not react, showing an apathetic face, and went back to eating.

Maya's smile slowly faded as she also gave her attention to her plate.

However, suddenly, Evie asked, "Did they rescue ya or recruit ya?"

"Does that have a difference?" Surprised, Maya said without thinking, soon regretting it.

"It doesn't seem like it's been long since ya've been a magical girl," Evie continued, "why didya wanted ta be one? What didya wish for?"

"Ahm..." Maya replied, "I wished I had a friend." Then she heard the sound of cutlery being dropped. Hesitating at first, she looked at her tablemate.

The pale girl's purple gaze was intense. "Whata fackin' wish is that? Ta force someone ta be yah friend."

"What?! No! I didn't wish for that! I wanna somethin'..." The dark-skinned girl lowered her blue gaze for a moment "...somethin' more natural."

Evie's countenance still showed her furious intent.

"B-Besides, my wish hasn't come true yet. I don't have a friend. So what ya say must not be true."

"It's still a crappy wish," Evie shook her head, saying coldly, "ya're bound ta become a witch."

Maya's eyes widened. "W-Witch?"

Evie, on the other hand, squinted hers. "Ya paid attention in Madre's teachin', huh?"

"Yeah! Yeah! It was one of the first things she taught me when I came heah. Witches were magical girls." Maya looked at her sparkling gem on her ring. "But why am I destined ta become one?"

"Would ya give yah life ta have a friend?"

"Eh..." Maya grimaced, that question had such a clear answer. "How am I gonna have a friend if I won't be alive?"

"That's right, 'nd yet ya screwed up." Evie maintained her coldness. "The only wishes worth havin' are the ones that are worth more than yah life."

Maya looked down, unable to ignore those words. However, the very words made her curiosity speak louder. "And what was yah wish?"

"I wished for someone's death."

She was dumbfounded, asking the only question she had the courage to utter, "Why..."

"It's a long story, one that repeats and go nowhere," Evie said without hesitation, "I was twelve years old and enjoyed a simple life. My hobby was roller-skating and collecting posters of boy bands. Until one day I was kidnapped by a man."

Maya immediately looked at her when she heard this.

And the pale girl had already understood the reason for that reaction.

"Evie..." Maya blinked her eyes. It was as if a curtain had been raised. "Of course, the missing Evie. The girl who was featured in all the newspapers. It was months of national commotion until ya managed ta escape from captivity, 'cause the kidnapper had committed suicide. From what I remembah..."

Evie did not move a muscle of her face.

Maya, on the other hand, flashed a shy smile. "I remembah my mom kept mentionin' yah name ta me all the time. It was for me to avoid walkin' in the street when it was gettin' dark, and ta always keep close ta home."

"Yah mothah is stupid," Evie stated, "I was near home, in broad daylight, when it happened. He just needed a chance, no witnesses, I was distracted by the music in my headset... A piece of cloth with a strange smell covered my face. I think I felt like I was thrown into a car, but I only remembah waking up in a windowless room." She looked around. "Like heah, but the walls were made of cement brick. I was already unclothed, gagged, hands tied, and the guy was standin' theah, holdin' his dick."

Maya pressed her lips together, feeling sick, "It must have been horrible."

"Oh, he explained everythin', very talkative, ya know?" Evie said in irony, "he had confirmed that I was a virgin and I was gonna lose right then and theah. If I fought back, he was gonna make me sleep again and fuck me anyway. He was even kind enough to put lube on it."

"Didya fight back?"

"Of course!" Evie bared her gritted teeth. "But he was big, heavy, and he laid on top of me. He didn't even care that I was strugglin', in fact he kinda liked it. I almost choked ta death my first time, and it would have been so much better if I had."

"It was months of captivity." Maya shook her head. "I don't think I'd be strong enough ta take that much..."

"I'm not alive cuz I was strong." The pale girl lowered her gaze. "In there ya couldn't count the days, only how many times ya weah fucked. I tried some things. Even with my feet and hands bound, I managed to remove the gag by dragging my face along the floor. I screamed, I screamed a lot, but it only made him come, no one else." She looked at the food on her plate and fiddled with her fork. "I went on a hunger strike, but he would come with a syringe and inject something into me. I felt dizzy, my body was limp, so he force-fed me. He left a bowl for me to use as a toilet, but I urinated and defecated on the floor, then I rolled my body on it with the idea of becomin' undesirable ta him." Evie looked back at the other girl, who was looking disgusted. "I only make that pig laugh, he liked my anger. The only thing I could really do was bang my head against the floor or the wall until my skull cracked, but I never had the courage."

Maya remained silent, in a mournful disposition.

And Evie was not finished yet. "He started injecting heavy drugs into me. I was sweatin', with a euphoria I didn't want, 'nd my skin became more sensitive. He would masturbate me and the bastard as able make me have orgasms. Once he said, 'Nothin' heah is yours,' and he was damn right. My body belonged ta him. Would you kill this man?

At the sudden and unexpected question, Maya brought her hand to her chest, uncertain of what she should answer, "M-Me? If I were in your shoes..."

"Nahnahnahnahnah." Evie leaned over the table and whispered. "As a magical girl. If ya knew all this stuff I told ya and ran into him, would ya kill him?"

Maya shook her head. "I dunno what ta say..."

"Or maybe ya wanted ta keep that ta yahself." Evie sat up straight again and sighed, "Anyway, ya can probably guess what happened. At one point when I was alone, I noticed Kyuubey watchin' me in the cornah of the room. I thought I was hallucinatin', especially since he came ovah ta talk ta me and I could answer even with the gag on. He offered me the contract, promising that it would save my life, but I didn't care. I wanted that fucker dead."

"The news said he had committed suicide," Maya concluded, "ya wished it that way so no one would arouse suspicion."

"No!" The girl averted her purple gaze, shaking her head and with a painful smile. "No, no... When I became magical girl, I felt sober and strong. I broke the restraints and broke down the door; I found that it was a basement of a house; I went up and looked for him, to smash his face before the dream ended. But I found him lying on a couch; he was cold. Kyuubey said he was dead, that's when I started to believe it was real. I left the house and ran down the street, in an unknown suburb." Evie closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Kyuubey hadn't even told me about the magical uniform, I was naked, but I was so used to the condition, I didn't even notice. I guess I just wanted to see the sky. Someone saw me and called the police."

Maya creased her eyebrows. "So yah wish killed him."

Evie looked at the other girl, now more serious. "The police said he died of an overdose, they found a lettah too. They told my family that his mothah had recently passed away and he had inherited that house. He had no fathah, lived in seclusion and nevah had a job, with no prospect of future. The lettah made it clear that he wanted ta 'enjoy a denied youth' before puttin' an end to his life. The drugs he bought with the savings he had made from his mothah's pension."

"So he committed suicide, he was already dead," Maya widened her eyes as she concluded, "Kyuubey fooled ya..."

"Kyuubey told me he was still alive when he entered the house, he could have survived the overdose, but my wish made sure that didn't happen..." Evie took a deep breath and flashed a wry smile, "The police said the drug was high quality, so he died happy, gettin' everythin' he wanted in his life, and I made sure of that." She shrugged. "But I don't care. Sooner or latah he was goin' ta die, and I was gonna rot in that room before anyone could find me. Life is made up of losses after losses, and ya shouldn't care. That's the mentality a magical girl should have." She narrowed her gaze. "Ya wanna know somethin' ya didn't see on the news? A month and a half latah, they examined me once again and found out I was pregnant."

Maya was slack-jawed.

"With all that shit he injected into me, I hadn't gotten pregnant, but by becomin' a magical girl, I became healthy and clean, and veeery fertile. The doctors recommended abortion, but my parents wanted me to have the baby and send it away for adoption. They believe in this karma stuff, for them the baby was not only innocent, but it could make up for the harm the father had done." Evie raised her eyebrows. "But they didn't have to argue much, because I ended up havin' a miscarriage."

Maya held her breath as she noticed the sarcasm on the other girl's face. "You..."

"What's wrong? I just wanted it ta be somethin' more natural." The pale girl's smile gave way to apathy. "Now get off my table, before I start likin' ya against my will."

"Huh?" The dark-skinned girl frowned.

Slowly, Evie's gaze widened and her mouth became more aggressive. "Get. OFF."

Maya winced and lowered her eyes, then she stood up quickly, taking the tray with the food with her.

For a moment, Evie watched the other girl looking for another place to sit, expecting that she might look back. When that did not happen, she returned to her meal.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In hurried steps, Inquisitor walked down the corridor, making noise with his boots.

Madre was having a hard time keeping up with him. She felt that she had started a locomotive, which was now out of control and speeding up.

The man came to a metal door and pressed a button on the panel to open it, but a noise followed by a small red light indicated that the access was not authorized. "They dare!" he vociferated.

"Inquisitor!" Madre touched his shoulder. "Calm down, just put in the code."

He typed frantically on the panel and the door opened.

In the room, everyone was already looking toward the door. Invader was standing beside a large screen, while the other sisters were sitting at the oval table. Generalíssima and Nano, as well as Revenant and Lucky. The bunny girl smiled and waved to those who had arrived. "Hello~"

Inquisitor ignored her, focusing on Generalíssima. "What's the meaning of this?! A meeting without my presence."

"That's not a meeting." The Latina woman looked at the child. "Nano had an idea and she invited me here so she could share it. The other sisters ended up coming along. It was something unexpected, I was going to tell you about it later." She then noticed that he had not arrived alone. "Madre, did you tell him that we were in a meeting?"

"No." The redhead pressed her lips together, knowing that statement was subjectively false. "Aftah I cleaned up the kitchen, I wanted to know where Revenant and Lucky went after they finished washin' the dishes. So I saw them goin' into this room. Then I crossed paths with Inquisitor and he asked me where Lucky was. I said she was here, in the meetin' room."

Generalíssima sighed.

Lucky, on the other hand, tried to pretend to be confused, but failed completely because of the smile. "Oh? Was he askin' about me?"

Revenant glanced at her, squinting her eyes.

The man, however, was more interested in what was appearing on the screen, the map of the United States of America. "Is this meeting about Washington?"

"This is not a meeting..." Generalíssima spoke in a low tone as she rubbed her face.

"Yes!" Nano nodded, smiling, "I had an idea that will help us searc-"

"No one is leaving this base." He looked intensely at the child.

Nano lowered her head. "Eh... hmmm..."

"And what do ya want us ta do?" Revenant complained, "We haven't found those bloody seeds until now. Re-establishin' contact with Washington is our best chance, they can help us."

"Yeah, we haven't even had any more calls from Willa," Lucky said, now more serious, if not sadder, "I wondah what happened ta her."

Generalíssima joined the other sisters, "Let Nano speak, I want to hear her idea."

The child exchanged glances with the man again, he appeared to be calmer, but no less intimidating.

"Inquisitor..." Madre called out to him in a soft voice.

He nodded slightly, saying, "Be succinct."

Nano made a short smile, agreeing, and she began, "It's dangerous for us to search Washington in person, we have no knowledge of the current extent of the problem. Instead, we can plant a drone there and it would be maneuvered from here, via satellite, Invader could arrange that. Inside the drone would have a coded message about our situation, so it could just land as soon as we find Washington."

"What if we can't find Washington?" Inquisitor raised his eyebrows.

"Washington will be found," Generalíssima affirmed, "if Washington had fallen, there would be nothing alive on the surface of Earth."

He just looked at her briefly, and crossed his arms. "What if the drone is captured by the enemy?"

Nano had the answer already. "I can build a drone with a self-destruct device. The encoded message, as well as any information there is, will be unrecoverable."

"Uh-huh..." He looked at the Asian girl next to the screen. "And what's your opinion?"

Everyone in the room looked at Invader.

She took a deep breath and summed it up in a single word, "Risky."

Nano was aghast. "I-Invader?!"

The blue ballerina looked away. "I know, we've talked about it, but..."

"What's the problem?" Inquisitor asked.

"Nano worked for years in Washington," Invader replied, "the sisters who live there are aware of her capabilities." She looked at Generalíssima. "Although Washington has not fallen, some of these sisters may have become this new type of witch. They may spot the drone and recognize that it was built with Nano's magic. Instead of capturing the drone, they can monitor the signal used to control it to get the location of the source, and this attempt is difficult to detect in time." Then she looked at the child. "I doubt they would get the exact position, it would be more of a general direction, it's hard to say. At the very least, they would know that Nano is looking for Washington. She will be hunted."

That last statement, accompanied by that icy stare, made Nano flinch.

"Don't worry, Invader, that will never happen," the man declared, "anyone who leaves or sends anything outside the base will immediately be considered a traitor to the Sisterhood, and will be punished accordingly."

"WHAT?!" Revenant exasperated, "Are ya fuckin' with us?!"

"Geez," Lucky commented in a low voice, "he's in a bad mood."

Revenant turned to her. "Why?"

The bunny girl shrugged, smiling, "Who knows?"

With a frown, Generalíssima inquired, "Punished by whom?"

Inquisitor promptly replied, "By me, of course."

The woman stood up from her chair. " The members in those installations are MY responsibility."

He stated, "Your responsibilities end when the entire Sisterhood is threatened."

Generalíssima's tense face radiated anger.

Inquisitor appeared to be unfazed by this.

"Oh God! Stop!" Madre exclaimed, "ya're behavin' like children!"

The man turned his head and nodded to her, before announcing, "This meeting is over."

Generalíssima exhaled, letting a mutter escape between her teeth, "This... is not a..."

Invader sighed and shook her head, turning off the screen.

Nano remained silent in her chair, downcast.

Also still in the chair, Revenant protested, extending her arm toward the man. "Generalíssima, c'mon! Are ya gonna let this smeg-head call the shots around heah?"

"I agree with Invader." Generalíssima leaned on the table with one hand as she tried to relax the tension in her body. "Nano's idea has merit, but it's risky. Besides, I want to resolve this seed issue and resume work on the project before we have contact with Washington."

Inquisitor raised his voice, making it clear that it was for all to hear, "I wasn't sent here to please you. That's why I tolerate verbal aggression, as long as nothing leaves this base."

Madre opened the door to leave, her voice not hiding her disappointment, "I'm goin' to go to the dormitory to see how the novices are doin'. Please, I hope I don't have to start doing that with you all."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Lying on the bed, Maya contemplated the neighboring bed. It was empty, everything was empty. Feeling bad again, the girl rose quickly and checked her soul gem. The blue tone of the stone in the ring was clearly visible, a good sign, but nothing that satisfied her.

She bowed her head and let the air escape her lungs. It seemed only a matter of time before she sank back into silent despair. Deep inside was a question she did not want to hear, much less find the answer to it.

_Have I become a magical girl for nothing?_

"My dear, what ails you?"

Maya raised her head and saw a red-haired woman standing there, gray eyes and tender smile, one hand always holding a red rosary. She did not want to drawn attention, much less from a sister, but since it was Madre, maybe she could be a little honest. "I dunno... I'm feelin' a bit lonely."

"Why don't you interact with the other novices?" Madre spoke.

Evie came to Maya's mind, but she decided to avoid mentioning something so sensitive. She looked at the other novices in the dormitory to observe what they were doing, but what caught her eye most, somehow, were the empty beds, there were many. "I don't know if I'm really feelin' lonely, I can't tell what it is."

"Hmmm..." Madre looked at the ceiling, pondering, "Perhaps it's longing."

"Could it be?" Maya raised her eyebrows. That word seemed to fit best with what she was feeling.

Madre looked at her again. "You must be thinking about when you will see your family again."

"Oh..." It was true, Maya remembered cogitating that, but something inside her pointed out that feeling did not seem to be related. "Yeah, I... thought..."

"Your family will be fine. I will fight for that." Madre nodded. "Be patient, this crisis will pass. Wars, plagues, gods... Humanity has often felt on the brink of extinction, but it has not only survived, it continues to evolve. We magical girls have a part in that, but unlike what Incubator thinks, every human soul counts."

Maya nodded in response, accompanied by a shy smile.

"You should talk to the other novices, it will help you adjust and you will feel better."

"I'll do that."

Madre was satisfied with the answer and leaved to see other novices.

Maya followed her with her eyes for a while, before letting the smile fade and laying down on the bed again. She stretched and looked at the empty neighboring bed. Despite what she had just said, she was indisposed, if not embarrassed, to talk to other novices in front of Madre. That could be done another time.

As she was straightening her pillow, she felt her fingers touch something underneath it. "Huh?" she pulled and saw that it was a small piece of paper and on it was written a name in pen.

**Alice**

"What's that?" She recognized that it was a torn piece of a page from her diary, which she had left at home. She looked on the other side of the paper and found that there was something else written on it.

**Maybe you never really wanted to be my friend. Forgive me for interfering in your life, but I really wanted to be your best friend. As much as you may hate me for doing this, all the moments we spent together were real and precious. Please, don't make me regret them.**

"That's my handwritin'." Maya left the bed, her heart racing, for she could not remember, no matter how hard she tried. "Who's Alice?" She frowned. "Could... my wish..." She then looked around for Madre.

The sister was heading toward the exit tunnel.

The novice ran after her. "Madre! Madre!"

"Hmm?" The woman stopped and turned around, "My child, what now?"

Maya asked, "Alice, dya know anyone with that name around here?"

"Alice?" Madre was thoughtful for a moment before declaring, "I believe there is no Alice at the moment."

The girl stammered, "M-Maybe she was heah before, but she left..."

Madre shook her head. "I doubt that. Is she someone important to you?"

"She's my friend," Maya stated, even if there was nothing concrete, that sounded natural.

"Oh..." Madre inquired, "Is she a magical girl? If she's not, there's no reason for her to come here."

Maya lowered her head, trying to remember, but to no avail. "I don't know."

Madre sighed and asked a new question, "What does she look like?"

"I-I don't know..."

The redhead wrinkled her eyebrows. "Is she an imaginary friend?"

"No, that's not it!" Maya exclaimed.

Madre widened her eyes and brought her hand to her chest.

Maya looked around, checking to see if she had caught the attention of anyone else in the dormitory. Confirming that she had not, she said, "Okay, I'll explain," she took a deep breath and continued, "when I made the contract with Kyuubey, I wished I had a friend. Alice must be that friend, but I can't remembah anythin' about her! How's that possible! It's my wish!"

"I see." Madre lowered her eyelids slightly. "How are you so sure it's her?"

"I think it's faith." Maya shrugged. "Ya understand more about it than I do, right?"

"Faith?" Madre smiled. "I have witnessed that relentless force many, many times, and how far hope can carry us. I have a long experience of it, to the extent that I might dare to say I shouldn't."

"So..." Maya bit her own lips. "Ya believe me?"

"Yes, I do." Madre nodded. "What you said may be strange, but knowing that magic is real, nothing can be ruled out. I will help you."

Maya's face brightened.

"Firstly, I still need to understand a part of your story."

Maya became worried again. "What would it be?"

"How do you know her name is Alice if you can't even remember what she looks like?"

"Ah..." Maya looked at the piece of paper she was holding in her left hand.

"Is it written there?" Madre opened her hand and offered it. "May I see it?"

The girl brought the hand with the paper to her own chest, then covered it with her other hand.

"I can imagine how much this is worth to you," Madre's voice grew softer, "but if I give this to Generalíssima, it will be easier to convince her to research whether there are records of an Alice around here."

Maya removed her hand from her chest. She nodded, but could not take her eyes off the paper.

**Alice**

She wanted to mark this name in her mind, never to forget. She slowly reached out her left hand and placed in Madre's hand the evidence that her wish had been granted.

_What?_

A rattling sound of jewelry caught the novice's attention. Madre was wearing an extravagant gold bracelet with gems, something the girl thought it was hard not to have noticed before. Then she also noticed that her arm was too bare, her skin too dark. She wanted to exchange glances with the redhead, but came across a pair of voluptuous breasts, the skin smooth and soft, and muscles sculpted to perfection. She raised her head and found a pair of pink eyes, serene like Madre's, but above them was a tiara with a black gem, a nexus of a raging storm.

"Well done, child, you have done everything exactly that was asked for."

Maya was not understanding anything. She heard the cheerful voice of Madre, but there was only that woman in front of her, with lips shut. However, her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden, excruciating pain. She opened her mouth to scream, falling to the floor. She quickly looked at the source of that sensation and saw that her left hand no longer had her middle finger, in its place blood pulsed out, staining her white shirt and camouflage pants. She screamed again, but realized that she was voiceless. She really did not understand anything, except for being a nightmare about to end. She looked at the tall woman.

But the woman did not exchange glances with the girl. She was more interested in removing the ring from the severed finger she was holding.

Maya looked around. The novices in the dormitory were resting, walking, talking, laughing. She extended her arm and called for help, but soon concluded that it was useless without a voice, so she hit the floor with her legs and body to try to make some noise. However, even when the novices seemed to be looking in her direction, they completely ignored what was happening.

The woman brought the ring closer to her black gem. The ring liquefied into a blue essence, which spiraled toward the gem, painting it with a beautiful turquoise hue. The blue turned pink, and then the colors sank into darkness.

Maya froze for an instant before becoming a lifeless doll, and slowly becoming transparent.

The woman waited until she could no longer feel the severed finger she was holding. On the floor, there was now only the Sisterhood uniform, no bloodstains, no trace of the novice who wore it. No, this was not so simple. She looked at the piece of paper, on which was written the name given to the other soul, and crumpled it into a small ball, then she picked up the clothes on the floor and went to Maya's bed.

As usual, the novices keep their belongings under their beds, but this time the woman would check everything, even inside the mattress and pillow. She found nothing in those places, but in the girl's belongings, she found a red rosary, one that she recognized immediately.

The woman's gaze was lost in cogitation as the grip of the hand that held the rosary grew stronger and stronger, the spheres of the instrument of faith marking her skin. Eventually, her breathing was noisier and she shook her head, determined to continue what she was doing. She fluffed the pillow and tidied the bed sheet, not leaving a single wrinkle. Her fingers were still good for that.

After she finished cleaning up, she headed toward the exit of the dormitory, carrying the rosary and the novice's belongings with her. It was then that she saw Madre coming through the tunnel. Without hesitating for a moment, she hurried her steps and held the redhead's shoulder.

Madre stopped suddenly, her eyes aiming at an uncertain destination.

The woman pulled the sister's hand away and carefully opened her fingers, placing the rosary in her palm and only then closing it again. To finish, she tapped her shoulder twice.

Madre resumed walking, arriving at the dormitory.

As soon as the novices spotted her, they greeted, "G'day!"

"G'day..." Madre was distracted as she coiled the rosary in her hand. Somehow, it was misplaced.

"Didya come ta purify our gems?" a novice asked, "Revenant did that before lunch."

"I'm aware of that." Madre smiled. "I just came to see how ya're behavin'."

The tall woman with long white hair analyzed the scene, watching everyone's every reaction. Convinced that it was stable, she continued into the tunnel, disappearing at the first corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Apokálypsis


End file.
